LETTER: Bolsover regeneration - a resident's view

As an owner/occupier of one of the properties undergoing restoration work, I feel the articles are not entirely accurate, points being:-

1. Only council tenants are being rehoused - owner occupiers or private tenants are living in the houses while the work is being carried out.

2. Owner occupiers/private tenants are not having the interiors substantially upgraded or insulated unless they are prepared to pay in the region of £11,000 to have the work done.

I appreciate that the work that is being carried out on my property is covered by the funding, new windows, external doors, gutters and drain pipes, and repointing of external brick work.

My wife and I live in one of only three properties (all privately owned) that have the original out buildings that were the outside toilet and the coal store, the rest of the estate’s outbuildings were demolished more than 25 years ago by the council during a previous regeneration project. These original pieces of architecture are not included in the regeneration project. When I questioned the council’s project manager about this, I was told they were not within the scope of the project. Hard to understand if the project ‘promises to breathe new life into the 194 properties at the historic site’, when these are in need of the same refurbishment. These back onto the pavement at the rear of the property and when the regeneration is complete will look out of place.

What is not being reported is the fact that we had scaffolding around the property for eight months, no gas fire for two months plus, as this was removed to carry out work on the chimney (still not fitted), constant dirt and dust in the house due to the work being carried out, workers starting at 7.30am every day including some weekends, rain water seeping through the walls as the guttering had been replaced on the adjoining property and not connected to my guttering, meaning the water was running out of the gutter down the walls and coming through where the cement had been taken out but not replaced.
These are just a few of the real issues we have lived through.

I must add that most of the contractors we have had working on our property have been excellent, understanding the issues we are experiencing and looking for solutions to them.

I hope this gives an insight into the work being carried out and the issues other owners may face.

Mark Hopkinson

New Bolsover, Bolsover