Children on a housing estate have been left dumbfounded by a housing association’s plans to rip out their Wendy houses.

People living in Chertsey Court, Mortlake, are upset by Richmond Housing Partnership’s (RHP) plan to remove three Wendy houses donated by a local school, which have been in the communal back garden for about three weeks.

Residents of the 150-flat complex said the children living there have really enjoyed playing in the huts and are angered with RHP for wanting to remove them.

Resident Barbara Guiu said parents who live in the area have encouraged their children to play outside by camping out in the summer, holding a barbecue and setting up a paddling pool and a rope swing, which was later removed by RHP due to safety concerns.

She said: “What people don’t seem to understand is the more the kids are being proactive and doing creative stuff like this the less they are going to be graffiti-ing and smoking weed.”

The play area has recently had a revamp in which new Tarmac was laid down and a new slide and seating area created.

RHP said the Wendy houses were in a poor condition, which was flagged up by a caretaker, and youngsters had been seen drinking – behaviour RHP said it wanted to stamp out.

RHP said it would perform a risk assessment on the huts before it removes them.

Former chairman of the residents’ association Louise Greenhalph said the way RHP had dealt with the situation was “pathetic”.

She said: “We have got a lovely community spirit going on here and it is just a shame to put a dampener on that.”

An RHP spokesman said: “While the Wendy houses also look like great fun, as a responsible landlord we have to assess that they are not damaged and would not present a risk through wear and tear.

“The location of the Wendy houses also restricts the cutting of grass and hedges which keeps the estate in great shape.

“Our customer adviser has spoken with the residents’ association to let them know she is happy to work with them to further enhance the play area, with proper consultation from customers on the estate.”

 

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