HUW SUPPORTS WORRIED RESIDENTS IN RYE FOREIGN
12.08.2015 for immediate release: Huw Merriman, MP for Bexhill and Battle, visited worried residents of Hill Top Drive in Rye Foreign yesterday to hear their concerns about Orbit Housing Association’s plans to sell their homes in the Grade II listed building.
Huw was joined for the meeting by Rother District Councillors Martin Mooney and Ian Jenkins and Rye Foreign parish council chairman Nick Ramus and clerk Julie Ramus who are all concerned about the families’ plight.
The residents explained to Huw that on 15 July, without prior warning, Orbit couriered letters to the 16 families who live in the historic building to tell them that Orbit had decided to sell the whole property and they would need to leave their homes. This decision had been made because Orbit considered that their homes are no longer fit to live in and to renovate them to bring them up to acceptable standards would be too expensive for the housing association.
However, the residents told Huw that they believe Orbit has been deliberately ignoring their requests for essential maintenance and repairs to windows, doors and the exterior of the property for a number of years. Now the exterior has got into such a bad state of neglect that it would cost a considerable amount to repair it.
Resident, Mr James Arter who works locally and is a volunteer on the Rye RNLI lifeboat crew, told Huw “I even approached Orbit to ask if I could repair and replace the windows at my own expense but was told this could not be allowed. As a result, the rooms I recently decorated have now got water damage because rain gets in through the rotten window frames. My daughter’s bedroom window is in such a bad state of repair that it actually fell out and we had to screw it shut.”
All 16 families want to stay in their homes in Rye Foreign as they have family and friends in the area, they work locally and their children attend local schools. They have also worked hard and spent considerable money on their homes to make them attractive and comfortable as they believed they would be living there long term.
Speaking in Rye Foreign, Huw said “I am very sympathetic to the plight of the residents who want to carry on living at Hill Top Drive which is a close and caring community. It is near to their family, friends, schools, jobs and voluntary commitments. Understandably, they are very worried and upset about the prospect of having to leave their homes, especially as there seem to be no alternative properties in the Rye area for them to move to. I have called an urgent meeting with Orbit to get a better understanding of the issues facing the housing association and to find out why the property has been neglected for so long.”