"Homeless charity lease a derelict house on our street - it's a magnet for drug users, rats and squatters"
- 4 months ago
Furious residents say a derelict house which is leased by a homeless charity has become a magnet for wild parties, drug users and squatters.
Number 2 Cartmel Place, in Eastfield, Northampton, has been empty and boarded up for more than three years.
Locals say the end-terrace house has become a haven for anti-social behaviour and is regularly used by drug addicts and for booze-fuelled teenage parties.
Shocking pictures show the windows smashed and the garden covered with broken furniture, booze bottles and piles of rubbish.
Neighbours say they regularly see large rats scampering over the mountains of rotting food and waste which litters the property.
The property is leased by the Noble Tree Foundation, a charity which looks to house the homeless.
Charity bosses have vowed to work with the freeholder to make the property liveable but have not said when that could happen.
Meanwhile locals say they are living in a “nightmare” and claim their neighbourhood is being ruined.
One resident said: "At the end of our terrace we have a house that’s been vandalised so many times since it’s been empty.
“This is its third year being empty.
"Since it’s been empty our local yobs have broken in, kicked the front door in, smashed all the windows, paint everywhere inside and everything else.
“They’ve held parties in there. It’s a nightmare. The police are aware.”
Another neighbour said: “It’s teenagers. They come from all over. You know what the internet’s like, social media, ‘come on let’s have a party’.
"The back garden is like a tip, everything gets dumped over there. The fence is falling down. The brick wall’s been knocked down.
"It seems now like it’s an extension of the nearby tip, everything goes over that garden.
“There’s a beautiful brown leather settee on top of the pile if anyone wants it.
“Now we’ve got rats running around our gardens. It’s just a mess. It’s unbelievable.
“It belongs to a homeless charity, which makes you laugh. Why would this building be standing empty for three years?”
Another added: "Rather ironic that this haven for drug addicts and squatters is the responsibility of a homeless charity.
"The people living here deserve so much better. I don't know why they don't just bulldoze the house and start again."
Labour councillor Paul Joyce, who represents the Headlands district, said: “It’s an absolute mess. I’ve been in touch with the Environmental Health department.
"We’ve tried every avenue. All the stakeholders that can be involved have been involved.
“It’s the company that own the property are not really doing anything.”
A Noble Tree Foundation spokesman said: “The building is owned by Home REIT, which is a real estate investment trust.
“We are the leaseholders for some of their properties, including number 2 Cartmel Place, which is boarded up at the moment.
"What does the future hold? We will work with the freeholder to turn this derelict building into a home for people, because that’s what we do.”
Number 2 Cartmel Place, in Eastfield, Northampton, has been empty and boarded up for more than three years.
Locals say the end-terrace house has become a haven for anti-social behaviour and is regularly used by drug addicts and for booze-fuelled teenage parties.
Shocking pictures show the windows smashed and the garden covered with broken furniture, booze bottles and piles of rubbish.
Neighbours say they regularly see large rats scampering over the mountains of rotting food and waste which litters the property.
The property is leased by the Noble Tree Foundation, a charity which looks to house the homeless.
Charity bosses have vowed to work with the freeholder to make the property liveable but have not said when that could happen.
Meanwhile locals say they are living in a “nightmare” and claim their neighbourhood is being ruined.
One resident said: "At the end of our terrace we have a house that’s been vandalised so many times since it’s been empty.
“This is its third year being empty.
"Since it’s been empty our local yobs have broken in, kicked the front door in, smashed all the windows, paint everywhere inside and everything else.
“They’ve held parties in there. It’s a nightmare. The police are aware.”
Another neighbour said: “It’s teenagers. They come from all over. You know what the internet’s like, social media, ‘come on let’s have a party’.
"The back garden is like a tip, everything gets dumped over there. The fence is falling down. The brick wall’s been knocked down.
"It seems now like it’s an extension of the nearby tip, everything goes over that garden.
“There’s a beautiful brown leather settee on top of the pile if anyone wants it.
“Now we’ve got rats running around our gardens. It’s just a mess. It’s unbelievable.
“It belongs to a homeless charity, which makes you laugh. Why would this building be standing empty for three years?”
Another added: "Rather ironic that this haven for drug addicts and squatters is the responsibility of a homeless charity.
"The people living here deserve so much better. I don't know why they don't just bulldoze the house and start again."
Labour councillor Paul Joyce, who represents the Headlands district, said: “It’s an absolute mess. I’ve been in touch with the Environmental Health department.
"We’ve tried every avenue. All the stakeholders that can be involved have been involved.
“It’s the company that own the property are not really doing anything.”
A Noble Tree Foundation spokesman said: “The building is owned by Home REIT, which is a real estate investment trust.
“We are the leaseholders for some of their properties, including number 2 Cartmel Place, which is boarded up at the moment.
"What does the future hold? We will work with the freeholder to turn this derelict building into a home for people, because that’s what we do.”