Stranded – broken lift leaves elderly "stuck" in their Leighton Buzzard flats
Elderly and disabled residents in Leighton Buzzard say they have been stuck in their homes for more than a week after the communal lift of their housing trust block broke down.
The lift at the Greenfields development, at Billington Road, run by Peabody Housing Trust, has been stranded on the third floor of one of the apartment blocks since May 25 say residents.
And despite repeated calls to the trust it is still not working, with no news of when it will be fixed.
One resident told the LBO some disabled people living on the third floor, had been unable to get out since the lift stopped working. And home food delivery was an issue because delivery drivers would not carry bags up the stairs.
"It’s the only way to get in and out of the flats,” said one resident who did not want to be named. “They can’t go shopping or anything and its a long way down those stairs!”
Another resident said it was not the first time the lift had broken but it was always fixed the same day. “It’s frustrating and very worrying,” they said.
The 82 properties at the complex are part owner occupied and part social housing. Residents can pay more than £400 in service charges a month.
On its website Peabody describes the complex as “a stylish mixed development of 82 one and two bed apartments, with 50 for affordable rent and 32 for shared ownership and sold through Peabody. For those 55 and over and with a local connection, with care onsite if needed, Greenfields provides lifetime homes in a purpose built, community-focused development.”
A Peabody spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, one of the three lifts at Greenfields is out of order. It’s taken longer than we’d hoped to get this fixed and we’re really sorry for the delay. We’ve made sure that support is in place for the residents who need it and are working to get this repaired as quickly as possible.”