2 hours Ago By [email protected] (Millie Bowles)
Shocked neighbours have described a housing association’s demand that they remove their communal meeting place as “health and safety gone mad”. Orbit Housing, which owns the bungalows that line Hopeville Avenue in Broadstairs, says the garden furniture used as a “wellbeing hub” is a hazard. But residents, many of who are elderly and live alone, insist the meeting place is vital for their mental health - and that losing it would be devastating.
Lyndon Brand, who moved to the area two years ago, created the hub in his front garden shortly after throwing a party for the King’s coronation. The 60-year-old told KentOnline: “Soon, we found we needed more seats as more people wanted to stop for a cup of tea and a chat.” The hub consists of four wooden chairs with side tables and a picnic bench.
The group grew, but just as it reached its height at the end of last month, Orbit Housing posted a letter through residents’ doors. Mr Brand explained: “They told us we can't have it because it's a trip hazard. They just won't listen to reason.
“It has just made my life hell personally which then spills over onto the rest of us because if this goes, we're all going to suffer. “When I first read that letter, my world fell out from underneath me.” The notice states that if the seats are not removed voluntarily, Orbit will come and take them away.
After being contacted by KentOnline, the company has said it will not remove them “until a new location can be agreed”. The defiant residents are prepared to sit tight for as long as it takes to stop their “safe haven” from being axed. Mr Brand said: “I've been on guard every day since then.
I haven't gone out. “The group will come out and we'll sit on it so they can't take them. “If they get their way and we come out here one day and this is all gone that would be terrible.
“Our closeness and where we rely on each other, I think that's going to dwindle and disappear. We just spontaneously come out because there's something on your mind that day.” Like many neighbours, 84-year-old Shelia Morris does not have relatives living nearby.
“This is my family,” she said. “I live on my own, I've got two little dogs and I've got a whole great big family just outside the front door. “I've got children but they're a long, long, way away.
“I can't go back and forth to Herefordshire and my son can't come back and forth to me all the time.” Val Barry, 79, added: “We all live on our own, and it gets us out of the house, otherwise we'd be sitting indoors, looking at the four walls. “We've all got sort of problems with health and Lyndon is an ex-paramedic, so it’s great having him nearby.
“Why Orbit wants us to remove the benches and break up all our little get-togethers, I don’t know. “It’s like health and safety gone mad.” However, it is not just elderly neighbours who benefit from the benches.
Lucy Brand, 37, said: “I've had episodes with my mental health for many years now, and my safe haven is this hub. “Orbit says in its tenancy agreement that it takes great consideration for a tenant's well-being, and that it wants them to live happily and comfortably. “But as you can tell that is not the case.
“We're not doing anything wrong at all. We're just sitting here having a cup of tea and a chat.” Miss Brand’s twin sister Claire does not live in Hopeville Avenue but loves the community so much that she travels from home on the other side of town to visit.
Brenda O'Rourke, who is 78 and lives opposite Mr Brand, said: “I've had cancer in my leg that makes it really difficult to walk anywhere. “I'm not able to just get buses here and there and I've had a triple heart bypass. “I just love it that even if nobody was sitting out here, I know if I knocked on anyone's door they would say come on let's go and sit and have a chat.
“Recently, I've lost a brother and a sister and a person I was a carer for. “Then in the last couple of months, I lost my little cat, and honestly, if it wasn't for me being able to come over here, I'd just sit there and think about it all. I’d be in a state.
“It’s brilliant what Lyndon has managed to do and we just can't lose it.” Marie Brown is another resident who uses the hub. The 74-year-old said: “It's a tonic to us when we get together.
I go home and I feel happy. “I've never felt so well in the last two years as I do now. “We're probably saving the NHS lots of money by having this.
” Orbit has suggested a coffee morning for the residents at the nearby village hall as a compromise. But the neighbours say “mental health doesn’t take a break at the weekend” and want something they can make use of every day. An Orbit spokeswoman said: “The safety and wellbeing of our customers is our priority, and we have a duty of care to keep outdoor communal areas well managed and clear of any hazards that present health and safety or fire risks.
“We have therefore reached out to all customers on the estate to kindly ask them to remove items in these areas. “However, we also understand the wellbeing benefits that outdoor social space can offer, which is why we also offered in our letter to arrange a meeting with all customers living on the estate to support them in creating a community space for the benefit of all in a suitable and safe location. “We encourage customers to accept our invitation so we can redesign an area that better suits the needs of the whole estate.
“In the meantime, we have agreed for the benches only to remain until a new location can be agreed. “We would also like to take this opportunity to remind all Orbit customers that they can access free wellbeing support if needed through our Better Days programme, which can provide them with expert advice and resources across a wide range of support services and via external partners, including mental health support.”.
