To Manstead Residents

Dear Manstead residents

We want to reassure you that we have not forgotten about you.

The truth is that we are dealing with a very high number of issues across the whole site at the moment, and many residents are needing help. This sometimes slows us down a little, but we are still working on your concerns and trying to get things resolved.

Truth is, the Manstead development has been difficult to challenge because they did not need planning permission, so there was no council oversight. That does not excuse what has happened, and we would like to hear from Manstead residents about how you would prefer us to deal with things moving forwards because we don't think it's right to let them get away with what they've done.

We believe there are several grounds on which the company could be taken to tribunal immediately, particularly in relation to the way the Residents’ Association has been sidelined and the conduct of staff entering plots and asking residents to agree to matters they were under no obligation to agree to. These issues are serious and would undoubtedly be recognised by a tribunal as breaches of proper practice.

However, the practical outcome of a tribunal in these circumstances would be limited. The tribunal’s role is primarily to determine what is right and wrong, and while residents may gain the satisfaction of a Judge formally identifying where Regency has acted improperly, the tribunal’s powers to impose meaningful remedies in these specific areas are restricted. For residents, this may not be the most effective route.

The RA is nevertheless considering tribunal action independently, because Regency must be reminded that they cannot continue to disregard the Association. They have a statutory duty to consult and engage with us, and that duty is not optional.

A more useful option might be at the next pitch fee review. Residents can say they are not willing to accept an increase because of the deterioration in the living environment. For that to work, you need to record evidence over the coming months. The tribunal needs to see everything. Loss of view, where you used to overlook a meadow and now overlook other homes, the mess left on the road, the condition of your pitch, and anything else that shows how your living environment has been affected.

The difficulty with companies of this nature is that they are able to continue behaving inappropriately when good people feel powerless or choose not to act. We believe it is important that some form of action is taken so that these issues are not allowed to escalate further.

Please let us know your preference by emailing duntonparkra@gmail.com or by placing a note in the RA letterbox outside the club. Your views will help us decide the most effective way forward.

Thanks


James
Secretary
Dunton Park Residents’ Association