Bid for fences at bungalows rejected
A REQUEST to put up fences at the back of older people’s bungalows in the Thorpe Acre area to stop offenders getting access to their homes has been rejected.
In question to the full meeting of Charnwood Borough Council, Coun Roy Campsall, who spoke to the Echo on the same issue back in July, said: “The layout of bungalows in the Garendon ward is such that there are no fences between them to prevent access to the rear of the properties.
“A number of residents, all of whom are older people, have experienced problems as a result.
“There have been cases of people accessing the rear of properties causing a substantial invasion of privacy as well as genuine fear and concern.
“There have also been two breakins where access was made from the rear of the property, one of which also involved an assault. This has led to a number of people having to keep their windows closed even during the recent hot weather.”
Coun Campsall, added: “For a number of years we’ve had trouble with the bungalows.
“Kids running round to the back of the bungalows, anti- social behaviour.
“People looking through the windows when older people getting undressed and this summer we’ve had one lady beaten up and £40 stolen, another lady had her jewellery stolen out of her bedroom.
“People need a bit of security in their old age. It would be nice to sit in the garden and have a fence round you, knowing that people can’t get in.”
In answer Coun Paul Mercer, the council’s lead member for housing, told the meeting: “The view of the police is that fencing wouldn’t actually help this problem.
“The anti-social behaviour issues in that area centre on the shops on Wordsworth and Browning Road and that’s something that the police have been working hard on over the past year.
“Back last May there were 62 incidents, that was then reduced the next quarter to 34 and finally to 16 incidents so it’s certainly a problem that the police for once have very effectively addressed.
“It’s also important to remember that Thorpe Acre estate constitutes 4.5 per cent of our stock yet only three per cent of reported anti-social behaviour incidents actually occur there. So it’s certainly not a hotspot in any sense.
“We’ve looked at every case that we’ve had this year since the 1st of April and there’s nothing to suggest, in any of the reported antsocial behaviour cases that there are problems of people running through gardens.
“The cost, and this is the big problem, the cost of building fences would work out at £100 per metre and then there’s the cost of the upkeep, so it’s not really a practical solution.”