Addlestone residents battling maggots and faulty fire alarms in council's flagship housing block
People living at the Addlestone One development have filed a group complaint against the council
People living in a Surrey council's flagship housing development say they are dealing with maggot infestations, a faulty smoke alarm and security problems.
Residents at the Addlestone One site have filed a group complaint against Runnymede Borough Council.
The development already carries the lowest possible fire safety rating, with residents saying there is no end in sight to the wait for improvement work.
The regeneration project
Runnymede Borough Council completed its Addlestone One regeneration project in 2018.
The aim was for the new homes and shopping district to bring much-needed footfall into the town.
Many of the storefronts are now vacant, and the fire safety rating in the properties was later found to be the lowest possible level.
The complaint
Residents have formally called for the council to address maggot infestations in communal areas, fire alarms going off and repeatedly displaying fault messages, as well as security concerns.
They have also asked for a definitive timeline on when fire safety work will start.
The uncertainty has made buying and selling homes more challenging, they said.
Residents have given Runnymede Borough Council until 7th September to respond before escalating their complaints.
The letter, co-signed by multiple residents in the Dunsfold block, said the communal bin store continued to suffer from recurring maggot infestations despite numerous complaints over many months.
The complaint said: "There have been occasions where the condition of the bin store has been such that it is unreasonable to expect residents to use the facility for its intended purpose.
"The recurring infestations have, at times, rendered the communal bin store unsuitable for normal use.
"Maggots have also spread beyond the bin store into the surrounding communal areas, including the lift lobby.
"This presents an unacceptable hygiene concern, particularly given the number of young children and babies living within the development, who should be able to use these communal areas safely without the risk of coming into contact with the infestation.
"Many residents feel that the current cleaning, waste management and pest control arrangements are not effectively addressing the problem despite these being responsibilities covered by the service charges paid by residents."
What residents say
Dunsfold House resident Jon Joyce said: "It seemed like the council were squirming and panicking.
"But the problem is bigger, and it's affecting other blocks.
"We are getting pest control to clean it more often now but the other day, the maggots were literally crawling out into the entrance way.
"I wouldn't say they've fixed the issue, just that they are cleaning it more frequently and since they've cleaned it there are more flies.
"The deadline we set them to respond to our formal complaint was September 7 but we are still just waiting back and if they don't we will look to escalate it.
"Things are difficult."
Residents said the most they have seen are a few extra cleaning shifts that temporarily keep the maggots at bay, but they inevitably return, while the other issues remain.
The council's response
The council said its offshoot, Runnymede Borough Council Services Ltd, a separate legal entity, has responded to the residents at the Addlestone One Dunsfold House site directly as part of the formal complaints process.
It said the matters raised are being dealt with.