Sadness over our deteriorating estate

How sad it is to see an estate one has lived on for almost 50 years, which was much admired for the way in which it was kept, suddenly deteriorate before one's eyes.
Westminster CrescentWestminster Crescent
Westminster Crescent

In our blocks of flats there are bare concrete landings and communal areas that have never had tiles or any floor covering during the 50 years since they were built, except where some tenants and residents have paid for carpeting to be laid.

The external doors have rotted away and are not fit for purpose and should have been replaced years ago when double-glazed landing windows were installed. Hopefully these problems will be addressed in the near future as a programme of work in the communal areas is scheduled to start, but it has been a long time coming and we are still patiently waiting. Grass cutting takes place at infrequent intervals during the summer but no other gardening work is undertaken except by mainly elderly residents who find it increasingly difficult.

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Recently, like in many areas of the city, there has been a marked increase in the amount of litter deposited on the streets and grass verges,.

Some tenants deposit their unwanted rubbish outside their homes without reporting it for collection and when cleaning out their cars empty rubbish into the road and gutter.

On a parking area intended for cars there permanently stands an unsightly fast-food van alongside a wooden bench which was placed there some years ago for the benefit of the community.

However, with the food van in front of it no one wants to sit there any more.

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Some tenants don’t seem to care about the communal areas inside the flats as one who moved into our block knocked a notice-board off the wall while carrying in a large settee and never even bothered to pick it up.

We reported it and my daughter ended up paying for it to be replaced when it was included in our service charges even though we weren’t the ones who had knocked it off the wall.

There are also those who have no consideration for others and think it’s perfectly OK to come in noisily at 5am and wake everyone.

Within the last couple of weeks council contractors have been working on the estate installing additional lighting columns.

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They have shown no respect for our estate as they have been parking their vans on the grassed areas which in some places now resemble a ploughed field.

There have been several serious incidents in recent times, which have warranted an increased police presence and when an estate starts to look neglected, attracts undesirable residents with anti-social behaviour problems then this can adversely affect the value of one’s property for those of us who have purchased their homes.

We still live in a very desirable area of the city on an estate regarded as one of the better ones, but for how much longer I wonder?

Susan Richardson

Westminster Crescent, Lodge Moor, Sheffield, S10