A LARGE block of flats at the heart of a Bradford estate could be demolished amid serious concerns about the standard of the properties, it has been revealed.
Bradford housing provider Incommunities has started consultation with tenants about the future of York House, on Idlethope Way, Thorpe Edge, in the wake of mounting complaints from residents and the union ACORN.
A spokesperson for Incommunities said: "Over the past few years, we have seen a decrease in interest from our customers in mid-rise flats, with homes in York House becoming harder to let, less desirable and more difficult to heat and maintain, which means they are no longer seen as aspirational or financially viable options for customers.
"We started our appraisal process on York House in November 2021 and are now consulting with our customers on options as agreed by our board in May.
"As part of the consultation process, we have asked customers for feedback on whether we retain and refurbish the building, decommission the building and do not rebuild or decommission the building and redevelop the site to enable us to provide modern family homes.
"A letter was hand delivered on June 23 to all customers in York House. We are reassuring customers that their feedback will be taken into consideration before decisions are made.
"If plans to decommission were to go ahead, we would support customers to find alternative accommodation that meets their needs.
"A home loss payment would be payable as compensation for losing their home, alongside this we would also arrange removals and assist with other elements of the moving process.”
Rachael Dennis, Incommunities Chief Executive, said: “We are committed to providing a good standard housing offer to all our customers and know that York House is not at the standard we would expect.
"I would encourage all York House customers to get in touch and let us know their thoughts.”
Prior to the announcement that the flats could be demolished, the union ACORN had been planning a protest over what it saw as the unacceptable quality of the flats.
At that point, ACORN member Rizwana Yasin said: “Bad housing in Bradford isn't going to change unless people take direct action themselves, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do here."
To provide feedback and ask questions, York House customers have been asked to email on yorkhouseenquiries@incommunities.co.uk or call 0330 175 9540 by Thursday, July 7. Feedback will be provided on Thursday, July 14.
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