Anger has erupted in Peasedown St John after it was revealed that Curo are not willing to replace a broken fence which previously kept children safe from passing cars on a nearby road.
Residents living in Frederick and Albert Avenues, the village Residents’ Association, and B&NES Councillors Sarah Bevan and Karen Walker, have all asked Curo, the social housing landlord, repeatedly over the last 15 months to make the necessary repairs.
Veteran Peasedown councillor Sarah Bevan (Independent), said: “The fence, which now only exists in parts, borders the well-used Green in between Frederick and Albert Avenues.
“Used as a popular recreational space since the 1950’s, children have been playing here for decades.
“In May 2014, local councillors and the residents’ association consulted households on what they’d like to see more, or less of, on The Green.
“All respondents agreed that fixing the badly broken fence, which has always acted as a deterrent to stop children running into the road, was a top priority.”
So far, all requests to fix the fence, and replace those parts that have been broken have been refused, with Curo now saying that residents need to raise the funds themselves to cover the costs of repair.
“In view of the near miss this summer involving a young child running through the broken fence into the road, Curo’s claims that repairs aren’t necessary and other options should be explored shows an almost comical lack of common sense bordering on negligence – where is Curo’s Duty of Care?”, added Sarah.
Local resident Richard ‘Tex’ Clarke, Vice Chairman of the Residents’ Association and a Peasedown parish councillor, said: “It’s an outrage that Curo expect us to raise the funds ourselves to fix the fence, especially for an important piece of safety equipment like this.
“If a set of traffic lights broke on a busy road, would the council tell residents to pay for repairs themselves – I should hope not!
“Back in 2006, a group of us got together to work with Curo’s predecessor, Somer Housing, to create a community project that tidied up The Green with various children’s toys, new litter bins and benches.
“Funding was set aside then to maintain this area for future generations. Even though Curo have been asked, they claim to have no idea where this money is.”
B&NES Councillor Karen Walker (Independent, Peasedown) grew up in Frederick Avenue and knows the estate well.
She added: “Since being elected to B&NES in May, I’ve not been impressed by what I’ve seen, or rather not seen, from Curo. I receive telephone calls and emails almost on daily basis from residents asking for help – many of them relating to Curo.
“Cllr Sarah Bevan and I are currently compiling a list of outstanding issues that Curo haven’t dealt with in the community, with this broken fence being top of the list.
“We’re keen to here from residents who’d like to tell us about their experiences of Curo.”
To contact the Peasedown councillors call Cllr Walker on 07968 401447/ [email protected] and Cllr Bevan via 07792 379850/[email protected].
