Inside 'ghost town' housing estate for NHS staff now run by dealers and vandals

11 September 2023 , 11:05

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Inside 'ghost town' housing estate for NHS staff now run by dealers and vandals

It used to be a bustling community of NHS hospital workers and their families, but now the derelict housing estate has been "left to rot" by the council after being abandoned three years ago. Remaining residents near Hospital Close, in Evington, Leicester, have described the area as a "ghost town" and said it has become a magnet for vandals, drug dealers and fly-tippers since 2019.

Locals living in the shadows of Leicester General Hospital have shared their fears and sadness, and said they feel unsafe in their own homes since it became a hotspot for antisocial behaviour. Ashley Lewis, 32, who lives on a neighbouring road, explained: "It's quite spooky to be honest, it's a complete ghost town now. It used to be a thriving little community of NHS staff and their families."

Hospital Close in Leicester has fallen into disrepair since NHS workers and their families left in 2019 (Tom Maddick / SWNS)

When the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust decided it could not afford to maintain the homes or upgrade them to modern standards three years ago, eviction notices were issued to health workers - including many nurses - living in the properties, and they were forced to move out. Now, those left living behind nearby say they have been "forgotten about".

Ashley continued: "It's gone from having these angels and life-savers to drug dealers and thugs. As people know its derelict you get people using and selling drugs, boy racers using it as a track and I don't even walk over that way anymore. The fly-tipping is just constant, one thing will get dumped and once that's cleared another load will replace it. It's just really sad to see."

Grandfather-of-two Terry Goldsmith, 69, who also lives nearby, said: "The place has just been left to rot and its a real shame. You've got the hospital right next to it so it was a perfect place for staff to live. I've lived her 45 years and it was also quite a nice place to be. But now it looks like a warzone, the whole place is boarded up and a complete mess. There's no street lights so it's quite frightening. The council said it would all be developed but nothing has happened in three years. It's like they have forgotten about it and the remaining residents here."

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Residents say it has become a magnet for fly-tippers, vandalism and drugs since being abandoned (Tom Maddick / SWNS)

Hospital staff previously spoke of their anger at being given just three months to find somewhere new to live after being booted out of the properties. George Kolankanny told his local newspaper at the time: "Our children go to school near here, we have lived here for ten years, it is our home. We both work at the hospital, we have lots of friends and neighbours here, we won't have that anymore.

"Living here we have our own community, we help each other out with dropping the kids off at school and picking them up depending on our shifts and we are good neighbours. When we all move on we won't have that any more, everything is going to change. We've been telling them for years that the houses are not in a good state but they kept saying they were fine, but now all of a sudden we have to leave because they are not good enough."

Leicester City Council bought 174 units of former nurses' accommodation for £10.5 million in March 2021 and said it would spend more than £4 million bringing the homes back into use. The authority said 135 new homes will eventually be created on the site, which will be used as affordable rented accommodation.

One remaining resident said, 'It looks like a warzone, the whole place is boarded up and a complete mess' (Tom Maddick / SWNS)

Speaking at the time, Leicester assistant city mayor responsible for housing, Councillor Elly Cutkelvin, said: "These units were formally used to house nurses working at the neighbouring Leicester General Hospital, but have been unoccupied for many years and have fallen into disrepair. We've been in talks with UHL about purchasing these units for several months, in order to bring them back into meaningful use and benefit local people by providing badly-needed affordable housing.

"The next step will be appointing contractors so that work can get underway on transforming these buildings and giving them a new lease of life. Money from Right to Buy house purchases gets returned to the Government unless we put it to use ourselves, so by investing it in creating more affordable housing we are ensuring the money stays within Leicester and helps local people who need it most."

Ed Chatterton