Pensioners living in a Belfast Fold have claimed that they were left with unusable gardens and a dead wildflower area after a housing association replaced their gardener.
Once cared for green spaces where the Inverary Fold residents could celebrate birthdays, BBQ and mark events together, are now overgrown with weeds and grass reaching past their knees. While the lovingly planted wildflower has perished.
The East Belfast pensioners say their grass was last cut around two months ago, making access difficult for those with mobility issues as it reaches past their knees. Yet they say Radius Housing has still been charging each of the 41 apartments between £20-£25 a week service charge.
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They also had hopes of becoming more self sufficient by growing their own crops on the grounds, but said past promises of support haven’t materialised.
Tenants association chairman Randolph Peters said he invited Radius to visit by email and didn’t get a response. He added: “The services are breaking down but we are still paying the money for them. This garden is a total disgrace.
“People here of all different ages come out just to enjoy it and you can see by the length of the grass some of the dogs don’t even want to come out.
“Radius have been contacted by a couple of people. I personally emailed them twice and got no reply. It shouldn’t be happening in this day and age. If they are not going to supply a service give us the money back and we’ll do it ourselves.”
Inverary resident Jim Hunter-Rae told Belfast Live: “Radius in their wisdom decided ‘we’ll get rid of the local guys [and] bring in one of the multinationals and from day one they were useless.
"We have a lot of elderly-infirm in here and the garden is their only outdoor space.
“It’s used every day, especially in weather like this. We’d be very active in here, we have our own barbeques, we have a gazebo, picnics on the far green but nothing has happened this year.
“A lot of people in here, their families have bought seats and all for them to come out and they can’t. That’s why you have six or eight people gathering out front on the concrete now.
“The midges and all gather because there’s so much in the garden - you can’t sit outside because you’d be eaten alive,” added deputy chair of the tenants association Linda Stitt. “You couldn’t walk in it because you would trip and you would fall.”
Linda said the residents feel “very angry” and “as if they are being ignored”. “They used to employ a gardener and he kept the grounds in pristine condition but they decided to do away with him and employ contract gardeners.
Linda said that the first contract gardening company engaged were "excellent" and kept the gardens "beautifully" but that problems have arisen since a new company took over.
Jim said one resident even spent £40 on a strimmer to cut the grass around a flowerbed outside his own window.
A spokesperson for Radius Housing said: “Maintenance of communal garden space in all Radius properties is managed by contractors, who attend regularly and undertake works which are appropriate at the time.
“The contractor has changed in recent weeks, and the new contractor is due to attend Inverary Fold tomorrow, 24th June, where they will undertake all necessary work, including grass cutting. We will ensure that maintenance of the gardens is monitored.
“Service charges for tenants in properties such as Inverary Fold cover a wide range of services, including maintenance of the gardens and communal areas.
“Radius staff will meet with tenants to discuss the maintenance of the garden.”
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