I’ve lived in a housing association flat for almost 10 years. About 18 months ago, the kids from the flat downstairs started playing in the communal area. Then the kids from my floor began playing with them too. At first, it was great to see them all playing together — they weren’t too loud and they didn’t stay out for hours on end.
Fast-forward to about 12 months ago, and children from other blocks also started coming to play in our communal area. Sometimes there were so many children that I’d struggle to get out of the main door. They’d play for hours at a time, screaming, shouting, arguing, and crying. They also started playing in the car park.
Our car park has a stacker system — the parking bays work like an elevator, so cars sit on top of each other. My parking bay is next to a wall, and I have zero visibility of what’s coming around the corner — it’s a complete blind spot.
There have been several times when kids ran at speed around that corner. I couldn’t see them until the last second, which really worries me because of the obvious safety risk. I contacted the housing association last summer and sent photos showing my car, the bay, and the blind spot. About two months later, they sent a text message to all residents stating that children are forbidden from playing in the car park.
In the last few weeks, the noise from the kids playing has been really loud again. It got to the point where they were running up to our front doors and banging into them. One Sunday, they were screaming, shouting, and arguing for four and a half hours straight. I could still hear them with my living room door shut.
So I complained to the housing association again — someone came to see me and spoke to the parents, and things improved for a while.
But then the kids started playing ball games on the communal green right by people’s windows. I didn’t complain, but I assume others did because a letter was sent out banning ball games anywhere on the complex.
On and off, the kids have continued to play in the car park. I’ve told a few of them it’s forbidden and explained that it’s dangerous. However, one parent from downstairs actually encourages his kids to play there, which undermines any safety measures.
Last Saturday, I switched on my engine and was about to pull out of my bay when a young girl on a scooter came whizzing around the corner. I sounded my horn and gave her a look that said, that’s not acceptable.
When I got home, I felt furious — I just don’t understand why any parent would be comfortable with their children playing in a car park. I was hit by a car myself and nearly lost my lower right leg — I had multiple surgeries over two years to save it — so safety is a huge concern for me. If I had hit that child, there could have been criminal and legal consequences too.
I’ve made multiple complaints to the housing association and called again after this near miss last week to follow up — but I haven’t heard back. I also contacted social services and the Health and Safety Executive, who asked me for photos. The kids were playing in the car park again last night, so I took a photo but deleted it because I felt terrible. I’m now considering involving a solicitor to get the housing association to respond.
It’s really starting to affect my wellbeing — I dread being at home now.
Has anyone experienced something similar? If you have, was there anything you did (other than moving) that helped you cope or helped the parents understand the seriousness of the situation?