We stay put, vow housing group rebels (From Worcester News)

We stay put, vow housing group rebels

8:20pm Wednesday 4th April 2012 in News By Tarik Al Rasheed

TENANTS who are being moved out of their homes to make way for a £20 million state-of-the-art retirement village say they are not going anywhere, despite the threat of court action.

Festival Housing plans to start building the scheme on the site of Alexander Gardens and Brookside in Malvern Link later this year.

It moved the former elderly residents out in 2008/9 and let their properties out on short-term rentals.

Although Festival says all tenants were made fully aware of the situation before moving in, some people say they had no idea that their homes were only temporary and that the housing provider is now essentially making them homeless.

Vince Wemyss, of Brookside, is one of a handful of residents who have refused to leave and have received letters stating that Festival has applied to the courts for a possession order.

“As we feared all along, we are basically being forced out,” he said.

“Some residents have been offered alternative accommodation but there are others, such as myself, who have been offered nothing and just told that we can bid on other properties through the standard process. But when you do this there always seem to be a good 10 or 20 people in front of you on the list.”

He said the remaining residents were planning to stand their ground and that he is even considering taking his own court action against Festival, which he maintains misled him on the terms of his lease agreement.”

There are 63 households of varying tenancy types on the proposed development site.

Festival spokesman Cathy Spence said 38 of those had either found or been provided with alternate accommodation. A further 10 have been offered properties, while five letters informing occupiers of court action have been sent out.

The remainder have either not yet been served notice or have not reached the end of their notice periods.

“It is disappointing that this minority of residents have not been able to find somewhere to live within the notice period, but there comes a point when their notice has expired.”