Anger at decision to demolish Bradford garages

The 43-year-old said he believes the notice would have been shorter if he had not asked “men in suits” why they were snooping round.

He said: “They seemed quite surprised when I said I’d heard nothing from Incommunities. They said I should have had a letter, then a few days later one arrived in the post.”

Mr Summers uses the garage near his home in Grayswood Crescent, Holme Wood, to house tools and a motorbike. He has spent his own money putting on a reinforced door and five padlocks.

“I’ve paid up rent money all these years on time and they still didn’t think about the courtesy of letting me know what they were planning,” he said.

He says Incommunities wants to demolish two sets of garages to use the land at the front and back of Grayswood Crescent for car parking.

“Some of the garages are in a bad way and probably do need demolishing, but mine’s fine. I’ve even offered, if they give me the materials, to do them up for them so they can rent them out, but they’re not interested.

“This is going to affect my business. I’m going to have to keep my tools at my dad’s all the way in Shipley and that’s going to eat into my working time and money,” he said.

An Incommunities spokesman said an audit of garage sites was carried out and it was no longer sustainable to retain 12 garages at Grayswood Crescent, only two of which are occupied.

The spokesman said Mr Summers was informally contacted in November and told Incommunities was assessing the garage site and informed there was a likelihood it would be demolished.

“In line with their garage tenancy agreement on February 10 we notified the resident in writing of our decision. This would leave parking areas in place of the garages.

“We have offered the resident the opportunity to rent garage space at Haselmere Close which is very close to Grayswood Crescent.”

But Mr Summers said: “The other garage is not near my house. I wouldn’t want to leave any of my stuff there.”