We, the residents of Sugar Hill Close and Wordsworth Drive in Oulton are now facing the imminent threat of eviction. Our landlord Pemberstone are claiming that our homes are becoming unsafe to live in and have given some residents until 1st December 2021 to vacate their homes.

The backstory:

Just over three and a half years ago, our landlord submitted a planning application to demolish our beloved low-income tenant estate and build new, executive housing. We fought hard against this, highlighting that NHS workers, teachers, carers and other low-income families have no other affordable housing options in the area. Plus, these houses have been our homes for decades (for some over 50 years)!

In October 2019 we won a small battle: Leeds City Council rejected our landlord Pemberstone's planning application. The wonderful councillors sat around that board argued that there was no justification for breaking up a community, an estate of long-time friends and neighbours who offer a vital safety net to each other. They also argued that to make 60+ families homeless when there was no provision of council housing in the Leeds area would be reprehensible. It was a momentous decision. Leeds City Council recognised that community matters, even on a private housing estate.

Unfortunately a Government appointed Inspector overturned this decision at appeal in January 2021.

As part of the planning application Pemberstone were supposed to set up a tenants forum to keep residents informed of their plans, so far they have not done this and residents are now receiving eviction notices.

We're still here and we're still together - a support network that's proving even more important in these worrying times. So many people in this estate are key workers, or are themselves incredibly vulnerable to coronavirus.

Pemberstone are allowing the estate to become run down, as some residents have moved on, having found alternative accomodation, thay have not re let proerties and are allowing them to become increasingly run down and gardens over grown. They believe the worse the estate becomes the more people will move on.

We will refuse to vacate our homes and will force Pemberstone to take us to court.

Thanks from the bottom of our hearts x