A 66-year-old women has been forced to sofa surf due to ongoing delays with the Ryde Village development, with a moving in date still not yet.
Lesley Bridges from Freshwater has been homeless for the past 6 weeks, sleeping on her daughter’s sofa in Southsea. She feels like she’s become a burden on her own family and is desperate to move into her new home off Ashey Road.
Lesley had to find a buyer for her house in order to put a holding deposit down on the new shared-ownership bungalow in Ryde. She was originally told her move in date would be the end of March or the beginning of April, however, this was pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic.
With a buyer lined up and eager to proceed, Lesley had no choice but to complete the exchange of contracts.
Since moving out, Lesley has been paying a storage company to hold all her furniture until she is able to move in. She had asked whether she would be able to drop a few boxes over to her new home in the meantime, but this wasn’t permitted. Lesley feels no compensation has been given and is unimpressed that no apologies have been made.
The pensioner was advised that if she no longer wanted the bungalow or were to drop out there are plenty of other people that would be interested instead.
Due to having no permanent residence, Lesley is unable to register with a GP which has been causing major stress during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking to Island Echo about the situation, Lesley has said:
“Ryde Village development may well be an innovative concept of affordable housing, however, the likely experience of all the parties involved is a shambolic lack of co-ordinated management. I feel there is a general lack of communication”.
Mrs Bridges has raised the matter with the local MP but has not yet received a response.
A spokesperson on behalf of Morgan Sindall Later Living, said:
“As with many other sites around the UK, building works at Ryde Village were temporarily halted during the Covid-19 lockdown period earlier this year. As a result, statutory services were unable to complete their important works, which has prevented the finalisation of the mechanical and electrical systems within the buildings.
“We have now reached the final phase of commissioning and testing which will enable residents to move into their new homes. Despite ongoing restrictions due to Covid-19, we remain fully committed to delivering this state-of-the-art, unique extra care development on the Isle of Wight.”
Shambolic, uncoordinated management and lack of communication sounds like Southern Housing in a nutshell.
How selfish of those builders to wish to protect their health and families welfare by avoiding CV.
IF only they had realised that another mainlander taking up a home would have to sleep in close family members homes, I am sure they would have gladly broken the law and risked dying to prevent this tragedy occurring.
Perhaps the builders could have a whip round, and buy a tube of Deep Heat to help ease the poor lady physical suffering.
Read the post, Isle of Wight, Freshwater lady
Promises from the developer have come and gone, using COVID as an excuse despite most of the building workforce returning to work at the start of June. The building works were complete months ago. Sheer arrogance from Morgan Sindell with many completion dates come and go.
If you had read the whole article you would have noticed that the lady lived in Freshwater and not on the mainland so no need for the sarcasm.
Exactly Julie. I thought the comment about another mainland person taking homes from islanders was very rude and inappropriate any way even if she was moving here from the mainland.we all gave a choice where we would like to live. People have moved around for decades!
I can’t believe this comment.. you seem to have come to a lot conclusions that are frankly not only incorrect but heartless. I happen to know Mrs Bridges has lived on the island for decades in freshwater. She is a widowed pensioner and deserves to have a permanent residence. She’s worked all her life and this was going to be her retirement home.
Yes, covid has played a part but it was announced in June that restrictions had been lifted on moving.
Get your facts straight before you start making narrow-minded, territorial and discriminatory comments!
Well said Hannah. That person who wrote that is very rude and must be very selfish…disgusting person.
Well said for 2 pins
why should other people be expected to carry out non essential building work during the lockdown and place theirselves at greater risk just so that some one who clearly has the cash in hand to temporarily rent a room somewhere, can move in
selfish freshwater woman
I agree realist. Tell it like it is. Leave the soft soap in the soap dish.
You’re an idiot realist
Building work been completed for a long time. Its the pen pushers, the very people who can work from home, that have not done their job. Also mate, in other posts, you have said covid was a hoax. Make your mind up.
Richard- no i have not said covid is a hoax – not the same person…
secondly – these “pen pushers” as you arrogantly described them – will have been furloughed by the company for the entire time – not permitted to do any work for the company. The business will be trying to preserve its cash resources so that it can continue in existence and continue to provide those pen pushers their jobs for years to come.
get with it – all these whiners demand a total lockdown because of the virus and then demand that people work – you cannot have it both ways
She is not well off or temporarily renting a room. She is sleeping on her daughters sofa!!!
Mrs Bridges IS NOT A MAINLANDER get your facts straight. She has lived most of her life and brought up her children in Freshwater and her husband died in her Freshwater home! She has worked for the NHS most of her working life (Love the NHS).Was there any need to be so vicious.Lesley is much loved in Freshwater and there was no excuse for leaving her homeless. She is in Southsea just to have a roof under her head and somewhere to lay her head.
You are obviously a heartless uninformed moron, perhaps they should have a whip round to buy you some happy pills.
Clones are people two…(women)
Such Covid problems are there for all to see, It’s unfortunate but I’m sure she’ll eventually be very happy in her new home.
I’m waiting to move into an apartment in Ryde Village and the rate the delay is going I’m going to be homeless at the end of Octobers well, as I can’t afford to lose my sale
That company is the worst for sure I am a southern housing resident and they are surely the worst when it comes to dealing with them. They promise things and this does not come to volition. This company should be held accountable for negligence and abuse. They have a lot of vulnerable people under their duty of care and since I have been a tenant time and time again they neglect these people.
They should not be able to maintain to be aloud to treat people in this way. I understand there is a pandemic but to leave someone homeless because of their refusal to assist when this poor lady had sold her house to take one of the part ownership properties. I hope this lady finds some comfort in this. And a solicitor company should take this one and take shg to court for damages
stop expecting able bodied people to pander to your every need. Fix things for yourself or pay for it yourself – those in private rented accommodation haven’t got anyone to call to fix things unless they have the cash there to pay for it.
That woman isn’t homeless – she has a place to stay – stop acting like she is sat in some shop doorway all night.
you’re a real a hole
richard – it takes one, to know one.
Here, here
A few years ago my mother was in the same situation, with another housing association. It was also a shared ownership property which was vacant. She had to sell her house and move out of her original home to ensure it was sold as the buyers didn’t want to wait . but delays with the paperwork ( shared ownership,is legally complex) meant she ended up living in the spare room in her ex-husbands home for several months. This is nothing new. This is not just one housing association. Covid on top of everything else has caused added delays. This article is not news. It happens a lot. How many people end up in temporary accommodation between selling and buying properties? She is not living in the streets.
We are also waiting to get into Ryde Village. The remark by the builder is a new one to me. We were told its contracts between housing associations that was the hold up. Also told lies about the parking bays not allocated as stated when we put done the deposit. Also can’t use our lofts for storage. We also had sold and will have spent nearly £10,000 on rent and storage. Everyone now in a position were they have no choice. Shame we were not told the truth right from the start. Shambles is an understatement.
I know a couple that have been forced into rented accommodation by this fiasco. The buildings are ready. Just paperwork. All the paperwork could have been done during the lock down. Seems to me they took a 3 month holiday paid by the government instead of working from home.
no richard – see above post – furloughed staff cannot work for the company they are furloughed from.
Having a family member in the building trade people need to understand that the virus restrictions HAVE halted a lot of work because nobody could ship in materials to build with to the island. This lady is in an unfortunate situation and im sure it’s difficult, however you can’t conjour up materials and work skilled people from thin air under these circumstances, there are empty places around the island, perhaps housing or council could find a temporary alternative until it’s completed so this lady can at least be safe?
she is safe – she is living at a place in southsea – she isn’t sat in a shop doorway all night – i note that no one cares about those that have lost their jobs due to this virus and are possible going to be genuinely skint and genuinely homeless – but no, lets worry about a relatively wealthy pensioner who “sold” a house to move somewhere else.
there are others going to foodbanks and worrying about their rent – perhaps some of these people are the furloughed admin staff that would have done this paperwork after being let go – due to a downturn in future orders?