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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To hate living on a council estate?

89 replies

TheFaultInOurStars · 05/12/2014 17:43

We bought a house a few years ago on a council estate where my PIL also live. DH and I thought it would be good to be close to them for the future.

Ive been ok here for a while now but since the last 5 years or so, it has really gone downhill.

Main problems are
People dump sofas, furniture, bags of rubbish, boxes and just anything really on an almost daily basis. There is a child safety gate at the front of my house as I type this.

Nowhere to park. We live very close to an educational establishment and students and staff just park outside and on the roads on the side of our homes. It looks like a bloody car park every morning.

Litter

We have tried to make our home as lovely as we can but as soon as I step outside or look outside of the window, it just looks crap.

The litter and tipping is so bad, that I actually feel a tinge of embarrassment when calling people to my home.

The shame is that all the neighbours are actually quite nice people. It's people who dont live there, that are causing the problems!

Does anyone else living on a council estate? And is it as bad as mine?

OP posts:

EatShitDezza · 05/12/2014 17:45

Move then.

I'm on a council estate with the odd bought house. We don't have sofas in gardens and burnt out cars either.

We do have local junkies, drug dealer and car thieves but apart from that its fine.

SaucyJack · 05/12/2014 17:47

Yep, YABU.

If you want somewhere that looks naice, then a council estate probably isn't your best bet.

Original poster

TheFaultInOurStars · 05/12/2014 17:48

I can't move. Financially we just can't do it. It was fine before. Its just gone downhill in recent years.

OP posts:

FUCKYOUPigeon · 05/12/2014 17:48

you could move, although if it is that bad would anyone buy your house

Vitalstatistix · 05/12/2014 17:49

Contact the council about the tipping. If it is happening on a regular basis they should perhaps put up a cctv camera.

litter - what about a community initiative, work with the local school. A clean up X event.

I really wouldn't worry about the cars, unless they are parked dangerously or illegally. The only thing anyone thinks about a lot of cars is oh, aren't there a lot of cars.

If you are really unhappy though, and don't want to do any of the above and if it is realistic for you, then yes, I agree with Dez - put your house on the market.

TrendStopper · 05/12/2014 17:49

What even is a council estate? I hear this phrase a lot & don't know what it means.

Original poster

TheFaultInOurStars · 05/12/2014 17:50

We dont have drug dealers or junkies etc (yet) thankfully.

OP posts:

bigjimsdiamondmine · 05/12/2014 17:52

I don't think you just get those sorts of problems on council estates, and not all council estates have those problems. Things like litter etc happen in many housing areas, so yabu to think its because you live in a council estate. Like the poster above said if you want a pretty clean area that bad you'll have to shop around to find somewhere. FYI we live in an area comprised of council flats and there is minimal litter/dumping of crap.

usualsuspectsparkly3 · 05/12/2014 17:53

I live on a council estate.

The sofa out the front comes in handy to sit and drink my cans of special brew on.

Hairylegs47 · 05/12/2014 17:54

If it's that bad and you don't want to move/can't move. Do something about the litter and dumped furniture. See if you can get permit/residence only parking. Others on your estate many feel the same way, form a residence group to work together to make the place nicer. I know people like to moan, but it only takes a couple to 'do' something to make it better.
Too many times 'we' let 'them' spoil things. There are more of us than them!
Good luck.

NeedsAsockamnesty · 05/12/2014 17:54

The parking problems would happen near any school anywhere

Fly tipping then get the LA to deal with it same for litter

EatShitDezza · 05/12/2014 17:55

We have a litter picker man that come around. We actually pay for him, including in the rent.

Maybe suggest that?

MrsPiggie · 05/12/2014 17:55

I think YABU, it looks like what you hate is living on that particular council estate. We lived on a council estate a few years back (OK, maybe about half the houses were still council, so not sure if it still counts as a council estate), but it was lovely, outstanding school, nice neighbours, no problems whatsoever. Not a posh area by a long way, but still nice.

NeedsAsockamnesty · 05/12/2014 17:56

Fwiw.

I don't live anywhere near any type of housing estate and fly tipping is a massive problem for me. Not a month goes by when I'm not paying someone to take away other people's dumped rubbish

DoraGora · 05/12/2014 17:56

Do you have a neighbourhood watch scheme? If not, set one up. www.ourwatch.org.uk/

Do you have a neighbourhood policing team? If you have one go to their community meetings. The dates and locations should be on the local police website. Do you know your local councillor? Ask to meet him and tell him your problems. If he or she is helpful, write to your local paper and tell them so and if he or she isn't, write to your local paper and tell them that instead.

Timeforabiscuit · 05/12/2014 18:01

If you want to stay in your area, then get active.

Call in the fly tipping, write a letter to the education establishment if their parking is inconsiderate and causing damage (grass verge being torn up) - get involved in your local group meetings if you have them.

With the fly tipping especially - councils will go through the rubbish and prosecute if they can find anything with an address on. Even talking to your neighbours (as their nice!) Can help, mentionitis about the stuff that's being left out in the street, isn't it a real shame, not really good for peoples pets/getting round with a mobility scooter is it? I thought so and so was going to trip trip over it the other day in the dark!

If you want to change things its your street just as much as the dumpers!

chrome100 · 05/12/2014 18:17

YAB a bit U

I'm not in a council estate but in a student area. The litter is pretty bad and there is lots of tipping but our flat is super cheap which means I can afford to go on holiday, weekends away etc. That's far more important to me than rogue crisp packets and what my friends think of my garden.

VodkaJelly · 05/12/2014 18:36

YANBU. I am HA although it was originally council. I have just moved from a council estate. I lived there for 12 years. When I first moved there it was an OK estate, not much trouble, near schools and can walk into town. I was never bothered that I lived on a council estate, I felt safe and some of the neighbours were lovely.

Over the 12 years the lovely neighbours moved out and undesirables moved in, drug dealers, junkies, trouble makers, benfit cheats (NOT the same as benefit claimants) and people in and out of prison. Lots of rubbish around and loud parties. Police on the estate all the time.

It got the point where I was embarrased where I lived because it had turned into a shit hole. When I told people where i lived they did that sort of sucking in of breath and "ooohh".

I moved, I realise how lucky I am, I bid on other houses and won a house on the edge of town. It is lovely. Used to a council estate but of about 100 houses only 6 are still HA. Its a ball ache having to drive the kids to school, but so worth it. I love where I live, I love my house and wish I had moved years ago when most of the nice neighbours shipped out.

OMG, just as I was typing this the local rotary have been round with Santa on a sleigh collecting money, wouldnt have had that at the old estate, the wheels on the tractor would have been pinched and the bucket swiped!

LegoAdventCalendar · 05/12/2014 18:39

So rent out your house and go and rent someplace else.

usualsuspectsparkly3 · 05/12/2014 18:41

Santa comes around our estate on his sleigh

VodkaJelly · 05/12/2014 18:45

Well in the 12 years I lived on the rough estate he never turned up on his sleigh ever, I have had to move house for that to happen (oh and we never got free papers either, they didnt deliver to those types of estates we were told)

EatShitDezza · 05/12/2014 18:48

In my whole life I've never seen Santa come through on a sleigh. I
Didn't even think it was a thing. I've always lived on council estates as well

usualsuspectsparkly3 · 05/12/2014 18:51

I must have been hallucinating then.

EatShitDezza · 05/12/2014 18:51

Never said that, I said Ive never seen it.

VodkaJelly · 05/12/2014 18:53

I dont think we lived on the same estate usualsuspects. the one i live on was rough as fuck which is why i moved away.

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