To hate living on a council estate?

[TheFaultInOurStars]

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?

Not what you were asking but council estate, Santa comes round on his sleigh here

Dog shit central but that seems to be the town in general not just my area

I don't even know what 'council estate' signifies these days. Even when they were widespread they varied so much that the Sofa/Bottles/Staffies bollocks meant fuck all except to Superior types.

OP: there must be a tenants and residents group?

join that. Honestly, it works

failing that, badger the housing officer responsible for the estate. But please, have a heart. Only tell them/complain about stuff they can actually DO something about- litter and tipping is a good shout. Parking possibly- if you're happy to have residents parking and punch ups when visitors get clamped

not that you don't like the smell of your neighbours' tea

[bitter experience face]

'Council Estate' properties seem to be quite popular on Homes Under The Hammer. Maybe Martin and Lucy could come round and big up your area?

Martin and Lucy love an ex local authority house.

A real opportunity to Add Value

'This Old House' playing in the background.

I do love the matching music on HUTH.

I want the job of that Researcher. That would be the best job ever.

IME some estates are lovely, others are dire. It only takes one or two lousy neighbours to start the "rot" and people give up keeping it nice.

I don't live on an estate, but there are some gits who use the childrens play park in our street to drink Buds during the night. Every morning there are empty cans (and smashed bottles) littering the park - there a four bins within 10 feet of where they sit......

A couple of neighbours and I have all bought those long grabby things (you see litter men use them) and we each patrol the park and clean it up on an informal rota.

Chat to your neighbours and maybe do the same? It MIGHT discourage littering if people see you doing it.

WE have street cleaners and every thing on our estate.

I live in an ex council house on an estate and its not pretty either but nice neighbours, solid big house 3 beds, massive garden etc. A new build one bed flat would be all I could afford if I tried to move. I agree with the suggestions to get involved in sprucing the area up. I never get embarrassed about where I live, anyone who judges is an arse.

I don't but I don't think I would like it. Is moving an option (if not now, maybe in the near future/)

Make an effort and organise a litter-pick. A man on my Mum's estate did this....he went around all the houses with leaflets. Not a lot turned up at first but when they did another, more came.

Later the same group raised enough funds to replace the playpark.

There's a large privately built estate near us. Looked nice at first, but that's all one to sell it. Playpark trashed after a year or so. Community engagement is key, not whether it's a 'Council Estate' or not.

WE have street cleaners and every thing on our estate.

Come round every day (or at least once a week) do they?

So no one drops litter on any other street then?

Just those nasty council house tenants?

They do come round once a week, yes. Every Thursday.

'Council estates' don't need any more frequent cleaning than any other. Any extra problems with litter or fly tipping and the local council are happy to help.

Definitely unreasonable. Move. If you can't be bothered, then put up with it, clean it up, do something. It's your chosen neighbourhood. Deal with it or go somewhere you'd prefer to live.

I live on a council estate lived on one for 17 year never seen burnt out cars etc, seen the odd sofa etc they charge 15 to remove them. I quite like living here.

I have heard that if litter is picked up/place kept clean etc, it is less likely to happen again. Maybe worth a try.

We occasionally get a bit of litter when ironically the bin men have missed a collection and the wind blows litter out of the overflowing public bin. I always pick up litter like that and put it in my own bin - rather than be annoyed by looking at it. And I always pick up any litter in children's playgrounds etc.

Why don't you call the council if you have litter outside your home? Be part of the solution OP.

I've seen one burnt out car, while on fire, it was in our drive though.

They came round to ours (santa that is).

My experience is that you have to pick the litter up and be prepared to challenge people on their behaviour. The local kids used to be scared of DH because he stood for no shite. Also call the police, others don't tend to and they were so good (and no kids hung around by ours after that..)

Likewise the neighbours were nice but too accepting which kind of facilitated it.

It's much easier living a couple of miles up the road somewhere naice.

Our bin men come once a week, but they certainly don't pick up litter from the street!

The park bins are only emptied once a month or so........

no point in calling the council. Pick litter up, only way it gets moved.