Why won’t council evict tent squatters at our seaside villa?
‘Used flowerbeds as a toilet’
BEACH House in Worthing has played host to royalty, aristocrats and even refugees fleeing the Spanish Civil War.
But today, the Grade II-listed seafront mansion has rather less welcome guests – a group of drifters who have pitched tents in the front garden.
Furious residents are locked in a battle to evict the homeless men and their husky dog who have been squatting for a month. The group have squashed the flowerbeds, scattered empty beer cans over the ground and disturbed residents at all hours.
They moved into the historic villa on March 26, according to Robin Biggs, who has a flat in the building with his wife Urairat. The retired business development manager said the garden had been redone for £500 just days before the men pitched their tents outside the 200-year-old West Sussex property.
‘It looked beautiful,’ the 68year-old said. ‘But we only had a few days to enjoy it before these tents were pitched here and these men began trampling the flowers, sitting on the wall swigging beer until they are comatose or shouting and screaming at all hours.
‘I got straight on to the council, then police came down here but said there was nothing they could do.
‘They even said if I dismantled the tents myself I’d be breaking the law – infringing their human rights – and I shouldn’t even try to talk to them in case they say I threatened them.’
Council officers and the police have inspected the site and a notice hung on one tent stated that if it remained after 24 hours it would be removed. The notice was placed two weeks ago, Mr Biggs said.
The men were not in the tents yesterday afternoon, but there were empty burger boxes and discarded cans of cider and wine bottles in the garden. Beach House was built in 1820 for the chief magistrate of Bow Street Magistrates’ Court in east London, Sir Frederick Adair Roe.
King Edward VII stayed at the handsome property several times between 1907 and 1910 while visiting Sir Edmund Loder, a wealthy aristocrat who sold the house to playwright Edward Knoblock in 1917. During the Spanish Civil War the house, which is set in three acres, provided sanctuary for 60 refugee children from the Basque region of Spain after the destruction of Guernica.
In the Second World War it was used by the Air Training Corps. The Regency villa has now been divided into seven flats.
Another resident, who asked not to be named, said he had seen the men using the flowerbeds as a toilet.
‘ I don’t really want to get involved because you worry that you will be targeted – we have no idea who these people are.’
Mr Biggs said he was worried the squatters would be here ‘for the next decade’.
The father of one, who bought the flat last summer, said: ‘The council just keep repeating “we’ve got it in hand,” but they’ve done absolutely nothing apart from pin a notice up. It’s pathetic.
‘Another guy showed up with a tent on his back and said he was going to camp here too. I said, “no you’re bloody not”. We just don’t know when this will end.’
The freehold of the building is owned by residents, but the 25ft by 35ft garden is owned by Adur and Worthing Council.
Despite being walled off, it is technically part of the neighbouring park.
A council spokesman said papers had been submitted to the court for an eviction notice, which they hoped would be secured this week.
Sussex Police said it was a matter for the council.