Time to move on.
We now know when we will have to leave our home, which I have lived in for 55 years and Linda for 35 years and close our business, middle to late October this year.We are having to leave because a 'charitable' housing association, ' Paddington Churches', intends to build over 160 flats in the yard.Since an earlier planning application of almost 20 years ago, we have been on Ealing Councils housing list, religiously confirming that we wish to remain on the list at each annual review. Due to the imminent demolition of our home we contacted Ealing Council to informed them that we would shortly be homeless and in need of assistance. We were turned down flat, told to look to the private sector, well hello, we are about to lose our source of income as well as our home. Neither Linda or myself have ever looked to Ealing Council for assistance of any kind, either for ourselves or our two children. I have been responsible for and paid, business rates and domestic rates for over 40 years but when we look to Ealing Council for help they slam the door in our faces. We have done everything we can to remain here but to no avail, yet we were told we had deliberately made ourselves homeless because of something I had signed 18 years ago, which according to my solicitor at the time I had no option but to sign. A gross misinterpretation of the facts by the housing department. Now according to the literature I have read, if our home had to be demolished, Ealing Council would rehouse us, so far so good but our home isn't technically speaking going to be demolished, its going to be redeveloped, so they won't help us. Perhaps I'm just been stupid here but how can you redevelop a site for a block of flats, without demolishing the building that's there already?So, what happens now, well we've decided to move out of London, possibly to Wiltshire, the problem won't be finding a house to live in, the problem will be finding work to pay the rent. Since making this decision we've been looking at Hanwell through different eyes and quite frankly we are beginning to change our minds about the way we feel about the area because large parts of Ealing and Hanwell are really not very nice, it's not the place we used to know and love anymore. Areas can decay slowly so slowly you don't notice it happening then something like this happens and it hits you, then you realise. But inspite of that it does have its good bits and Ealingtoday is one of them, so we shall still be making regular visits to the site.We would like to thank a former Mayor of Ealing, Joan Ansell and Councillor Jonathan Oxley who both worked on our behalf to find a solution to our predicament but to no avail. Joan in particular was horrified and disgusted at the way we had been treated by the Ealing Housing Department and tried many avenues to resolve our problem. And to save you asking, we have seen a solicitor who confirmed that despite the ease which some people within our community and from outside, receive housing assistance, we unfortunately, had fallen through every social safety net. Rest assured that despite having lost our home and business and having to move out of Ealing we have not finished complaining about the unjust way we have been treated, next port of call, Mr Virendra Sharma MP, I'm pleased to see he has an e-mail address, unlike his predecessor. Not that that will be our initial contact, that will be by letter to the Houses of Parliament.In the words of a favourite character of mine from the 60s, " Be seeing you".
Peter Wright ● 6608d8 Comments ● 6564d