Leicester - St Peters
Neighbourhood Monitoring
Apartment Buildings - No External Cleaning.
Note: Since this article was written there have been new notes added about this issue. Please click on the "Action and Response" section below for details..
The four 18 floor apartment buildings you see across the leicester skyline in St Peters just east of the railway station are imposing iconic structures able to create an impressive statement to almost any viewer from all directions.
Standing at 53 Metres high (179.56 feet) they are amongst the tallest buildings in Leicester.
Each apartment building comprises of 86 apartments spread across 17 floors. The rent for these dwellings is approximately £64 per week with an additional fee of about £840 per year for community charge.
If you visit one of these buildings you would be somewhat unimpressed however as their height and stature in this city are only matched by the appalling squalor and filth from which they rise. The reason being quite simply is that Leicester city council have for years now failed to make arrangements for the external cleaning of the entryway for these dwellings.
That's right... "there is no contract for cleaning the outside of the lobby area"... hence it never gets cleaned. 86 tax and rent paying apartments amounting to tens of thousands of pounds per year and we don't qualify for clean presentable entranceways to our buildings.
Think we are exaggerating?
Article Written by Mel
Photography by Mel
Date Written Feb 22nd 2007
Date Modified March 2nd 2007
Status: Article in Progress
Have a view or comment on this article? Then we would like to hear from you ... especially if your are a
- Local Government Councilor or politician able to influence decision making liable to bring about a resolution of this issue.
- Local Authority Manager or director of services
- A local authority employee somehow connected to the delivery of services involved here.
- A resident of St Peters effected by the issues reported in this article.
Please use our feedback form on this website to reply.
You can help us in the following ways on this issue.
- When your politicians and elected officials come a calling cap in hand at election time... which as sure as night follows day they certainly will... then mention this issue to them and ask them what they did to try to resolve it.
- Contact our local councilor about it.
- Contact our local member of parliament.
- Email the Housing Manager Paresh Chandarana at paresh3@stpetersnm.com
- Tell your neighbours about this article on this website.
We have so far undertaken the following action on this matter.
- Paresh Chandarana the Housing Manager for St Peters has been notified in writing that this is an issue we are keen to see addressed and have invited his proposals.
- We have met with Pushpa Patel of Leicester City Council Housing Management on Monday 19th February 2007 at the lobby area of Maxfield House. It was made absolutely clear that the state and condition of the external lobby area was totally unacceptable and that we needed to hear back with concrete proposals that would entail changes in the upkeep to these buildings and result in a frequently cleaned and polished lobby exterior befitting the homes of over 80 rent and rate payers in each of the 4 apartment buildings in St Peters.
- We have also spoken about this issue on the Patch Walk we carried out on the Wednesday 7th March 2007 with Kamina and others from LCC Housing.
- The issue has also been designated as an "area of focus" within the St Peters NM.
- Within the "Our Neighbourhood" --> "Neighbourhood Issues" section of www.stpetersnm.com website it has been detailed along with a full interactive gallery.
As a result of communications on this issue we have been informed the following action has been taken or will be taken to resolve this matter.
March 1st 2007
I have asked our cleaning project contractors on 28.2.07 to work out a quote on the cleaning of the front entrances to the Tower blocks at St Peters, as soon as I have the quotes I will be able to decide on moving forward with this initiative.
regards
Kamina Rughani
Team Leader
St Peters/Charnwood NHO
Adult & Housing Services
21st March 2007
 The front of Maxfield House was cleaned by contractors. This work was carried out in order to generate a quote for carrying out the same work on an ongoing basis at all apartment blocks in the neighbourhood.
The outside of the glass was cleaned as were the hardwood frames and infill paneling at the bottom of the side panels.
Although the glass appears scratched and smeared it is considerably better then what it was.
The paved area immediately outside the lobby area has been thoroughly swept for the first time in years... and oh.. what a difference it makes.
All the litter, debris, soil and gravel have gone from the paved area.
See photo gallery for the newly cleaned exterior.
We have available to us a wide selection of options and choices to escalate pressure and action to bring about resolution of this issue.
Our future plans include media and publicity events involving local and national press as well as broadcast media. Also we have open to us a range of web search engine publicity using carefully selected keyword in conjunction with "Leicester City Council" or the name of some other agency or body who is in someway falling somewhat short of expectations.
Additional steps will see contact on this issue with elected officials.
On this issue we also plan the following activities...
- Future plans will involve the photographing of the exterior or the homes of Leicester City Council Executives and Managers responsible for failing to ensure there was a contract for the cleaning of the exterior of these buildings and comparing those with photo's of how they keep our buildings and homes..
St Peters Neighbourhood Management Board have issued the following press releases and statements on this issue.
Updates will be posted here on this site as they arise so check back often.
If you require further information or wish to organise a broadcast interview with a representative of the St Peters Management Board you should email us through our media and communications address. communications@stpetersnm.com
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