Flood Damage Repairs Fury
22 November 2002
ANGRY householders in Culloden are up in arms over flood repairs which have been going on for 10 weeks and are still not complete. Tenants in Walker Crescent claim they have been asked to continue paying rent to Highland Council, even though they are not living in the houses.
Severe flooding on 8th September forced many residents out of their homes after water levels rose up to 4ft, damaging houses and ruining their possessions. Some tenants were moved to other houses, two are living in caravans in their gardens and another is in a chalet in Clava. The residents in the five houses which have not yet been fully repaired voiced their concerns at Monday's Smithton and Culloden Community Council meeting.
Some points raised were: Workmen using toilets when the water has been turned off and not clearing up afterwards. People's possessions, such as dishwashers and washing machines, being dumped in their back gardens. Sub-standard repair work leaving doorways too narrow to put furniture back and walls reconstructed without plans and workmen asking residents where cupboards should go.
Community council member George Davidson said some had been asked to live upstairs in their homes while the work was being carried out. "Private tenants with insurance in Cranmore Drive were advised to leave their homes until the houses were sprayed and cleared up, and it is kind of shocking that the council allowed people to remain living in their homes.
"It seemed that if you are a council tenant, the treatment you receive is not very great, and it looked like the council were penny-pinching."
One person is being asked to pay her rent while her neighbour has been told not to pay, community council chairman Arthur Harris claimed. "Residents should not have to pay rent at all because the homes do not have electricity or water which are two conditions of their leases," he declared.
He said workmen had been doing a bit of work here and there on a house before moving on to another. "Why can't they do one house at a time?" he asked. Mr Davidson said attempts to obtain an update on the situation from the council have so far failed and calls had not been returned.
"The council is being somewhat elusive," he commented. "Residents phone up and are told the council is aware of the problems but still nothing is done about it. People are being messed around and their lives have been disrupted enough as it is."
Local councillor John Cole felt it important that residents who had been flooded out of their homes be compensated, but he thought they should still be paying rent. "They have also done a tremendous amount of complaining," he added. "I have told the council all the areas which need attention, especially Walker Crescent, and they have got it down as a high priority.
"It is a great tragedy that this happened and it should have been dealt with sooner. Workmen shouldn't have used the toilets in the houses but, unfortunately, there are no public toilets in Culloden."
Councillor Ella MacRae, chairman of Highland Council's Inverness Area Housing Committee, admitted it was taking a long time to repair the flood damage at properties in Walker Crescent. "Everyone else that has experienced flooding is also finding this to be the case in council or private properties," she said. "It takes time to dry out premises before reconstruction work can begin and Highland Council wants to do a complete and proper job in returning these homes to a high standard for the tenants."
A council spokesperson told the Courier that the Housing Service was aware of a number of issues concerning Walker Crescent tenants and these issues were being investigated and treated with the utmost urgency. "Housing officials will be in touch directly with each tenant to resolve these matters," she added.
