A mother has said that she is worried about her baby's health after finding mould in his bedroom at a converted office block in south Bristol.
The first-time mum - who who does not wish to be publicly named - claimed she found extensive mould in her son's bedroom and is now checking every day for damp, as well as running a dehumidifier throughout the night. At the end of January, another mum living at the site claimed her daughter ended up in hospital because of mould at her flat at the former Parkview office complex in Hengrove - now known as Imperial Apartments.
At the time, developer Caridon said its maintenance team had responded the same day it was made aware of the issue, and described it as "an isolated case." It added that it provides all tenants with a handbook advising how to manage condensation.
READ MORE: MP says Imperial Apartments is example of ''substandard' housing
The latest mum to raise concerns said: "I had lots of mould in my son's bedroom, behind his wardrobe and under his cot and changing unit.
"I have to have it [the dehumidifier] running all night and alternate between rooms. I am really worried about his health, I have managed to get rid of the mould in his bedroom but I am checking every day now."
She said she bought the dehumidifier after she used to wake up every morning to find a small pool of water in a corner. She said some of her own belongings including shoes have gone mouldy.
Read more: Take a look inside controversial housing development
In January, Bristol South MP Karin Smyth asked the council to stop housing families with children at Imperial Apartments, adding that all the families it has already housed at the complex should be moved out as soon as possible. She is so worried about living conditions at the site that she then raised this issue in Parliament, describing the site as an example of deeply worrying "substandard" accommodation.
Last month, Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees announced the council is to pause housing families with children there, admitting there are "some challenges" at the site. The mayor wouldn't say whether the existing families at the site would be moved out, but that the review will look into this.
The mum-of-one we spoke to has also complained about the mix of people at Imperial Apartments and said families should not be housed at the site. However, she said she would be worried about being moved elsewhere.
"I just worry that, if they move us, the new place could be even worse than this," she said. "This is my first experience and I am not too sure what to expect, I know that they [the council] do not have much housing anyway."
The mum said she was facing homelessness because of domestic violence and that she feels she had to take the flat at Imperial Apartments because otherwise the council would have told her she was choosing to be homeless. BristolLive understands that, if someone was to give up a private tenancy, an assessment would then be carried out by the council and that they could be deemed as making themselves intentionally homeless if the property was suitable and met their needs.
Do you live at Imperial Apartments? What do you think about living there? Our reporter Estel would love to hear from you. You can contact her directly on estel.farellroig@reachplc.com
The 20-year-old said she feels worried living at Imperial Apartments due to the anti-social behaviour there, adding she hasn't had any problems herself but that she has witnessed it.
"I was told it was a really nice place and I didn't know about all the problems there," she claimed. "It is horrible, I just keep myself to myself.
"I do not feel safe here and it is not an ideal place to bring up a child. I do not want him to see all the things that go on here, from the shouting and arguing to the drug use."
BristolLive approached both Bristol City Council and the developer Caridon with the concerns raised by the mum, but neither has commented. BristolLive's understanding is that most tenants at Imperial Apartments are private tenants who were supported into private housing by the council.
Caridon has previously said that Imperial Apartments has on-site office staff, who are always available to deal with any tenant concerns or queries, and security for any out of hours issues. The developer said these services are provided to ensure the safety and well-being of tenants and that they would not be available at many other residential apartment blocks.
Caridon has previously described Imperial Apartments as a "very diverse community" where "people from all walks of life live". The developer has previously said that no one is forced to live at the site and that "it is completely their choice to be here." It said it continues to take feedback from residents, local stakeholders and Bristol City Council to ensure the building achieves its objectives and is a success for the local community.
The first-time mum also claimed that her letters have been going missing since she moved in last August and that, in December, she decided to have her post delivered to her mum's after some Christmas presents went missing. She said she does not get parcels delivered there either because they also kept going missing when they were left by the entrance door.
The issue of parcels going missing was raised in a meeting between Bristol City Council and Caridon in May last year. The documents stated they would send communication to all residents stating going forward no parcels would be left unattended.
"I had clothes going missing and also family presents for my new-born baby," the mum said. "I never received those and they sent me outfits, blankets... We never got them which is so upsetting.
"Unless you are buying something from Amazon [the site has an Amazon locker], you are stuck and your parcels are left there for anyone to take as there is no security system."
The mum-of-one also claimed that, ever since she moved into the flat in August, she hasn't had any phone signal. She said that her understanding is that other residents are also having this problem and, despite complaining about this "lots of times", it doesn't get fixed.
"They said that the signal is bad and does not reach certain areas but that isn't good enough," she continued. "What happens in the case of an emergency?
"You have to go to the main road to get any signal and, as I am in one of the apartments round the back, it would take me ten minutes to get to the front."
The mum claimed that she can't receive phone calls and that, while she was pregnant, she was having to get her own mum to call the hospital for her to get appointments. She claimed that, as a result of this, she missed two appointments during her pregnancy which she had to rearrange.
"I missed appointments for emergency scans as they would send me a message but I would not get it until I left the flat, or they would try to ring me and I would not get a notification," she claimed. "I was not leaving my flat much at the time because I was pregnant.
"I had to rearrange them for two weeks later which meant I was not able to get checked out as quickly as I would have liked to. Thankfully, everything ended up being fine, but I was just having a bit of sickness and reduced movement [of the baby]."
Read more: Imperial Apartments houses more than 80 children under the age of five
In recent months, BristolLive has reported on many concerns from residents at the former Parkview office complex in Hengrove - now known as Imperial Apartments.
Among the concerns raised about Imperial Apartments, a young mum claimed 'they are the worst' and a first-time dad said he feels so unsafe living there that he sleeps with a hammer and a screwdriver next to his bed, with other residents comparing the development to storage facilities and even a prison.
Another young mum claimed that her daughter ended up in hospital because of mould at her flat, while another claimed she is being sexually harassed "all the time".
Read more: Imperial Apartment residents compare site to storage facilities
At the start of the year, information released by the council stated that there were 82 children under the age of five living at the development. The council wasn't able to provide details on children aged above five despite an officers’ warning that no child over five should live at the two-bed units created in the first phase.
Bristol City Council has previously admitted that the use of a former council office block in south Bristol for housing is "not an ideal option" and city mayor Marvin Rees described it as 'the least worst option'.
Developer Caridon has previously said it offers a large community development where residents live together and interact and recognised this isn’t for everyone, but stressed there is a very positive atmosphere in the building.
The developer has previously said it has had a very small number of tenants who have raised concerns about living there and that, in those cases, they have helped in any way they can and sought "amicable solutions for issues raised".
The developer has also defended the size of the apartments - describing them as adequate - and that the site has several facilities including a Zen garden or a "very well used" soft play area which tenants can use free of charge. There are also two free gyms at the site - with a third one due to open - and three IT suites.
Responding after Ms Smyth's remarks in Parliament, a spokesperson for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: "Councils are responsible for allocating social housing to tenants, but improving the quality of social housing is a responsibility of all social landlords.
“Everyone deserves to have a safe and decent place to live, which is why our White Paper outlined our mission to bring 800,000 rented homes across England up to a decent standard, halving the number of poor quality homes.”
Do you live at Imperial Apartments? What do you think about living there? Our reporter Estel would love to hear from you. You can contact her directly on estel.farellroig@reachplc.com
Read more: Imperial Apartments houses more than 80 children under the age of five
Read more: Take a look inside controversial housing development
