People on a housing estate have gone 18 months with no recycling bins as well as suffering from poor maintenance and ongoing disrepair.
Several people living on the York Way Estate in Islington have reported issues ranging from broken doors to exposed piping.
They added the estate’s owner, the City of London Corporation, has been delayed in its responses to concerns raised, with one saying the impression is that the local authority “don’t seem to care”.
A spokesperson for the City said it is investing around £107 million to improve properties across all 12 of its social housing estates, with works including replacing windows and lift refurbishments.
The York Way Estate consists of 275 flats across four blocks. The estate is currently in the midst of further development, with work ongoing on an additional 91 flats.
Jackie Doolan, 63, who has lived on York Way for most of her life, said: “At one time this estate was the envy of people because it was such a lovely estate.”
“Now we don’t even mention it, because people just feel sorry for us.”
She said ongoing issues include open ceilings along some of the corridors, with exposed pipes, lights hanging down, flats being “overrun with mice”, and a lack of maintenance in areas such as the lobbies.
Antisocial behaviour is also a problem on the estate, she added, with one resident saying at a recent meeting with the City that she had seen people having sex in a stairwell.
“They [the City] are not thinking about us as tenants,” she said. “All they’re thinking about is these new builds.
“Our flats are going into disrepair because they’re falling apart, but it feels to us they’re not concerned about that.
“It’s all centred on the new builds. And we’ve brought this to their attention so many times.”
Ms Doolan said her daughter had been having issues with damp and mould in her flat, which she claimed was the cause of her grandson going to hospital three times with bronchiolitis.
Max Fras, 42, who has lived on the estate since 2011, also raised a problem with the estate’s main recycling bins.
He said these were removed in January 2023 after being set alight. Since then, Mr Fras said he has repeatedly chased the City to provide replacements, to no avail.
In their absence, he said recyclable material is just thrown away alongside normal rubbish.
A City of London Corporation spokesperson said: “We are aware of the concerns raised by residents and recently met them to discuss how we take things forward."
They added: “[Work on our estates] includes replacement windows, kitchens, bathrooms, heating systems, and lift refurbishments.
“We are also rolling out fire safety improvement works and electric upgrades, replacing roofs and refurbishing communal areas.”
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