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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Estel Farell Roig & Leigh Mcmanus

Inside the 'depressing' flats which tenants say feels like living in a storage unit

Residents at a former office block have compared living at the new housing development to residing in a storage facility.

A string of people living at the former Parkview office complex in Hengrove, Bristol, have blasted several aspects of the facility including the size, mass of people and apparent anti social behaviour.

A man who has been living with his partner in a studio at the development since the beginning of Autumn said he finds living in the development 'depressing'.

The resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told Bristol Live that the description of human warehousing is accurate and that he has a storage unit in the city and the development reminds him of it.

Developer Caridon said that it offers a large community development where residents co-live and interact and recognised this isn’t for everyone, adding that there is a very positive atmosphere in the building.

The developer 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".

Caridon has 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.

His comments come as other residents at the development - now known as Imperial Apartments - have expressed concerns for their safety and complained about lack of maintenance, with a young mum claiming 'they are the worst' and a first-time dad saying he feels so unsafe living there that he sleeps with a hammer and a screwdriver next to his bed.

The resident, who is privately renting the studio, said: "It can be incredibly difficult to find a place to rent in Bristol and we were quite desperate when we took this place.

"As soon as we can, we will move out of this property.

"The development is too big, there are too many people living in one place - we would move out if we could."

The resident said that the fittings at the studio, such as the cooking facilities, are not an issue but that the apartment is 'too small' and has only got space for a bed and a small table.

"It is not very roomy and overpriced," he said, adding that the rent is just over £700 a month. "We live our lives on the bed."

Bristol City Council admitted earlier this week 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'.

However, the council has defended its decision, saying the site has provided housing for more than 200 people.

The tiny kitchen area in one of the studio flats (www.bristolpost.co.uk)

In Summer 2020, the council revealed it was planning on housing people in the complex which was being redeveloped by Caridon, a company which was the subject of a Newsnight investigation as residents in one of their developments in London complained about overcrowding, the mix of people, violence and substance misuse.

At the time, housing chiefs at Bristol City Council admitted they had concerns about teaming up with a developer accused of creating “human warehousing” - but said they were "determined to make this development a success and thriving community in which to live".

A young mum, who has been living in a two-bedroom flat at the site since the end of last year, also complained about the size of the properties.

Pictured is a puddle by a window in one of the flats (www.bristolpost.co.uk)

"The flats are ridiculously small and it feels like you are in a storage facility," she said. "If you stretch your feet from the sofa, you can pretty much touch the TV stand."

Another mum, who signed a one year tenancy, said: "I am desperate to move out - I absolutely hate it.

"If there was anywhere for me to go, I would move."

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