Pensioners 'trapped living in hell hole building site' after builders vanish
Residents at a sheltered housing community say the council has turned their home into a “hell hole” after builders dismantled key parts of their home only to down tools and vanish four months ago.
People living in the over-60s community at Walwyn Gardens in Bristol say their home has been “trashed” while the whole process has “induced depression and anxiety” in residents of the Bristol City Council flats. Resident James Curran was told via email last month that it has 'suspended all non-urgent repairs' while attention is focussed on another council block, Barton House, where residents were recently evacuated due to structural issues discovered in the building.
Repairs at Walwyn Gardens started four months ago with exterior cladding taken down, the common room demolished and walkways taken away. Since then they claim there has been little progress and residents say they feel they are being left behind. James said the site looks 'trashed' and the whole process has 'induced depression and anxiety'. The 66-year-old says he feels that the project has been poorly managed between the city council and Synergize Ltd, which is carrying out the work. He claimed: “Most people who live here are trapped in their flats and don’t get out and about due to safety. There are residents in their 80s and 90s here. It is a hell hole.
The over-60s community at Walwyn Gardens in Hartcliffe say a long-awaited improvement project there seems to have stalled, leaving them to put up with fencing and a mess (James Curran/BristolLive)“I haven’t slept in a month, I am fed up with the work and even the most optimistic residents have lost hope. I am trying to get out of here, I can’t wait to leave.”
Residents at the 27-flat block have complained about conditions at Walwyn Gardens for years, with some telling Bristol Live in 2019 that they were considering withholding their rent.
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In 2020 the council apologised for the state of the block and said a million pounds would be spent on refurbishing and repairing it. In March 2023 a decision notice on the council's website stated that a contract would be awarded for the 'comprehensive refurbishment of Walwyn Gardens'.
It added: "Walwyn Gardens requires certain investment to meet statutory health and safety standards. Furthermore other elements of the comprehensive refurbishment are already overdue as a result of multiple option appraisals over the past several years."
James said residents now feel like they are stuck living on 'a building site' where everyone is struggling (James Curran/BristolLive)James said residents were originally told they would be getting improvements to the flats such as a Juliet balcony, new doors and "little touches to make the flats more appealing", but he claimed these plans were scaled back due to budget.
He added: “They started work four months ago and we have been left exposed to the elements as a result. They started doing scaffolding however they stopped that two months ago and since December no work has taken place. They cut down trees in a beautiful garden, they’ve destroyed it. It used to belong to the residents that live here, it is so poor for our wellbeing.”
James is worried the site could be dangerous in its current condition and claimed that because of the works, some residents had black mould and condensation build-up in the flats, and that some walkways seemed unsafe after exterior cladding was removed.
He said: “They were wanting to replace our windows since we have single glazing, but due to the project we have had black mould in the kitchen and bathroom. We have to use ammonia spray to deal with it every few days.
“I’ve tripped on debris left at our flat, our walkways get flooded when it rains. It will turn into a skating rink when it freezes. Why have they done that?"
In an email responding to a repair request to fix the black mould, Bristol City Council told James to not report anything before January 15 due to the situation at Barton House. The council tower block in Barton Hill was evacuated in November due to safety fears.
The email, seen by Bristol Live and dated December 13, read: "Due to the emergency situation in one of our high rise blocks, we have suspended all non-urgent repairs to focus our teams on refurbishing our empty properties as quickly as possible. We’re very sorry for the delay and inconvenience; at the moment we ask that you report this after the 15th January."
James said residents now feel like they are stuck living on 'a building site' where everyone is struggling. He said: “Do they not care about us? Are Synergize not bothered about us?
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“It’s so sad for everyone. It feels like everything is crumbling around you. My mental wellbeing is important. I just want to cut my losses and move on at this point.”
Bristol City Council and Synergize Ltd were both approached for comment but are yet to reply.
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