Dear Editor,

A MEETING took place on 20th June regarding the Fountain Farmhouse Tye Green Village.

The senior housing officer, two other housing officers, Councillor Dan Swords and four representatives from the Tye Green Village and Primrose Field residents group attended.

Thanks to the council officers for giving their time and Dan Swords for facilitating this meeting.

Dan has given us a lot of his time.

We have been dealing with this issue for months now on behalf of the resident group since we became aware that the house was to be refurbished after many years of neglect and a few years with no occupant.

We were pleased to hear this and hoped that it would be restored to its proper listed state according to English Heritage.

We were concerned  to learn it was to be used as a council house for someone from the waiting list.

What they described as “A sensitive let to a suitable tenant”?

The residents group objected to this proposal, for the following reasons.

It will cost a fortune to refurbish depending on the quality of finish.

The council will fund this through its budget for maintenance.  We ask should so much be spent on one property when other council homes need funds. We think it unfair to other tenants. There was an extensive expensive refurbishment some years ago.

Local professionals estimate its value in its current condition  at circa £ 400,000. (unseen but based on current house prices)

We now learn planning and listed building consent has been given increasing its value.

We think the house should be sold to a private buyer who will bear the renovation costs. Council officers disagreed as a property would be lost from the housing stock at a time when there is a long waiting list.

Not unreasonable until we learn that the tenant would be eligible for Right to buy. Buying at a reduced value and then able to sell on at a later date for profit. So potentially it will be lost to the housing stock anyway.

Shouldn’t council tax payers get the maximum profit?

Funds accrued from a sale to a private buyer plus the saving of renovation costs would enable the building of more than one new council property, increasing the stock and giving more tenants a home. 

Old houses are expensive to maintain new property less so, more savings for the council. New houses are “greener” benefitting the environment.

Can a council tenant afford to live in the house, estimated annual cost at today’s prices for rent, council tax, fuel circa. £20000 pa. generally council tenants aren’t high earners.

We would be happy to hear the views of other residents. This is not just a Tye Green Village issue it’s a wider Harlow issue. 

We have given a huge amount of time to this and now feel, if in agreement with our views, other residents could take this forward. Let Harlow Council Housing Dept know what you think.