Housing dept urged to mend fences in Glebe
Image: Dilapidated housing and fence at public housing in Glebe / Photo: Denis Doherty
The State Government has defended itself against claims that it is deliberately letting public housing stock in Glebe fall into a state of disrepair, in a bid to sell off the historic suburb’s government-owned housing to private developers.
Prominent local activist Denis Doherty from the Hands Off Glebe group says the housing department is failing to carry out even basic repairs and maintenance.
Mr Doherty said one of the more serious issues was the government’s refusal to keep roof gutters clear, allowing them to fill up with leaf litter and become choked with weeds.
“Housing NSW has been telling tenants that if they live in a one-storey building, they’re responsible for clearing out their own gutters,” said Mr Doherty.
“Apparently if it’s a building of two storeys or more, the department is responsible but even then, residents have to wait months to get anything done once they report an issue.
“This means gutters are being choked with plants – in one case a Moreton Bay fig tree – causing damage to buildings, which is exacerbated even further when it rains.”
Mr Doherty labeled the situation “demolition by neglect”, alleging the State Government was effectively trashing its own properties, making them too expensive to repair or even beyond repair.
“And then they can sell them on the private market, and pack the residents into cheap little cookie cutter apartments.”
Mr Doherty said the roof guttering issue was among a multitude of problems facing public housing tenants in Glebe, with fallen-down fences another common problem.
Hands Off Glebe has launched a YouTube video called ‘50 Ways To Hold Your Fence Up’, based on the Paul Simon song ‘50 Ways to Leave Your Lover’, in a bid to highlight the maintenance issues.
The NSW Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC) defended itself against the claims while conceding Mr Doherty was partially correct on some points.
An LAHC spokesperson said tenants of cottages and single storey town house dwellings were responsible for cleaning their own gutters while “the LAHC is responsible for all other gutter maintenance issues [which] can be reported to the Housing NSW contact centre”.
Elderly and disabled residents unable to clean their own gutters could “discuss their needs with Housing NSW”, who would “consider alternatives such as connecting the tenant with local community volunteer services or arrange cleaning of the gutters by contractors at the tenant’s cost”.
On the issue of “demolition by neglect”, the spokesperson said: “The LAHC identified two properties in Glebe during 2012/13 as no longer meeting its current needs and suitable for sale.
“Proceeds from these asset sales have been reinvested within the NSW Government’s social housing portfolio.”
Statistics on earlier asset sales in Glebe were not provided, and it is unclear how many more properties, if any, are earmarked for sell-offs.
