A row has broken out on a West Cumbrian housing estate between tenants and their social landlord – with the organisation now consulting its lawyers.
Residents of Westfield say a piece of land behind Garth Road, used by people for allotments, is subject to a covenant, but Westfield Housing Association want to build bungalows on the site. The association said there were no such restrictions on the site.
Tenants said they were left reeling when agents of Westfield Housing Association were sent in to stop what it termed unlawful activity.
Police were also called in and the housing association said it was currently consulting its lawyers regarding further legal action in relation to the behaviour of tenants and ‘also some of the subsequent potentially defamatory reporting of it’.
But residents said they have been tending allotments there for years.
However, the association said it wanted to build five bungalows on the land for older people and the land was wholly owned by Westfield.
The situation has left the allotment holders, and wider community, devastated, according to local councillor Sean Melton.
Councillor Melton, who sits on Workington Town Council, said: “The agents turned up last Thursday to clear the land.
“I’ve got the documents which date back to 1983 saying there is a covenant on this land – but that doesn’t appear to mean anything.”
But the association disputes Coun Melton’s claim.
It said: “The land is wholly owned by Westfield and there are no covenants restricting building on the land. There have also never been any historical nor statutory allotments on the site.
“In 2013 Westfield once proposed to create allotments and a community garden area at the site, but this was opposed by local residents.
“The site is overgrown and is not a community asset.
“There was previously one small private allotment tenancy on the site since April 1 2013, and the tenant of this allotment received notice to vacate the allotment in
October 2021.
“Thereafter, Westfield allowed the tenant to keep the allotment temporarily and rent free as a gesture of goodwill until this temporary free use was recently brought to an end by Westfield upon further notice to her.
“There was also an unlawful makeshift use of a small part of the land which was put there anonymously. It seems that this was done by a local resident, who was personally given 14 days to remove any items that had been placed there and a generalised 14 days’ trespasser notice was also staked to the ground.”
But Coun Melton said that the allotments were well established.
He added: “These people weren’t just growing food for themselves, they passed on food to other people in the community. Children went there to learn about gardening and the allotments were well cared for. Youngsters won’t be able to grow anything now.
“There’s a cost of living crisis happening and the housing association felt this was the best way of going about things. I am disgusted and the residents of Westfield are disgusted. People’s mental health will suffer as a result of this.
“I understand other housing associations are turning community land into allotments and growing areas because of the cost of living crisis and to help with people’s mental health. I don’t understand Westfield Housing Association’s rationale behind this – except the fact that it wants to build some bungalows.
“It just feels unbelievable that this can happen in 2024.”
Westfield Housing Association said the new bungalows would help with the shortage of that type of accommodation.
It added: “There are over 150 people waiting for level access accommodation in the Westfield area.
“This development will allow older persons to stay in the community they are a part of with family and friendship ties and also vacate larger family homes for people wanting to move into the area.”
