‘A constant nightmare’: Amesbury tenants living in hotels after fire

Ben Appleby, Tamara Hughes and Chris Bonella were forced out of their homes in June

Author: Aaron HarperPublished 2nd Oct 2023
Last updated 2nd Oct 2023

A group of social housing tennats from Amesbury are still living in hotels four months on from a fire that turned their lives upside down.

In June this year, a blaze at Sandell Place drove all 16 households out and several of them have yet to be placed into temporary homes.

For Ben Appelby, Tamara Hughes and Chris Bonella, they’re living in various hotels in the Amesbury and Salisbury area.

Ben told us they don’t feel they’re being treated fairly or consistently by Wiltshire Council or housing association Stonewater.

“We're constantly having to fight for answers. There's there's a lot of inconsistencies which we feel like we need to address.

“For example, one person's banding changes for one reason, another person's bandings change for the same reason, but it's gone in the opposite direction.”

Damage caused by the fire to the roof of the building

Frustration is leading to mental and physical health concerns

Tamara is a mum of two, with a third child on the way, and is finding life, understandably, tough.

“We live off microwave meals,” she said. “It’s stressful, you’re always tired and you don’t want to do anything because it’s just never ending.

“You’re just in a constant nightmare.”

Tamara’s eldest is 16 and is becoming increasingly isolated, leaving her worried for his mental health.

Chris, who stayed in six different hotels across eight days, says the constant moving around has been difficult.

“It’s getting all your stuff put in it in the car and then going to hotels in Salisbury and back here in Amesbury.

“I have a disabled mother who lives close by. She's just had a major heart surgery and a hip operation, so I need to be close to her and it and it's just not ideal.”

Describing himself as a ‘happy, go lucky person’, Chris admitted friends had noticed a change in him as his frustration is affecting his mental health.

Chris also has concerns for his 26-year-old son who is also affected, saying he is ‘withdrawn’ and has ‘started to drink a little bit more’.

The bin area before the fire, which was a hotbed for fly-tipping

Limited support isn’t going far

The tenants are receiving a daily payment from Stonewater to help with some costs but Ben told us it helps but ‘doesn’t go as far as you’d like it to’.

But outside of that, there seems to be very little support for the group.

Ben said: “Half our time seems to be chasing the Council for answers like what's going on. What happens next? What are you doing on my documents?

“We have really had to jump through hoops just to get on onto the (waiting) list, as everybody does. But in terms of support, it's just not much at the moment.

“As each day passes, it does kind of get harder. It gets more frustrating. You feel more irritable.”

Council and Stonewater responses

In response, Wiltshire Council leader Richard Clewer told us that the situation ‘isn’t good’ and the fire itself was ‘deeply distressing’ but laid most of the responsibility for rehoming with Stonewater.

Cllr Clewer said many of the Sandell Place residents had put themselves on the Homes for Wiltshire list, where they will eventually become the Council’s responsibility.

The council leader also blamed the limited amount of accommodation in Amesbury as tenants have declined homes in other parts of Wiltshire due to relatives and friends in the area.

In a statement, Stonewater said they are continuing to do all they can to find suitable long-term accommodation for the residents affected by the fire.

“Of the 16 households that were originally in hotel accommodation, we have been successful in permanently re-housing two households who were able to take up a new tenancy in homes that have become available in the local area.

“A further eight households have been able to move to more suitable longer-term temporary accommodation that we have been able to secure for them.

“Six households remain in local hotels, but we continue to undertake daily searches for suitable local Airbnbs, private rented accommodation and we are working towards buying four homes that are currently for sale locally for customers to rent.

“We have made two offers of alternative accommodation already that haven’t been accepted because they weren’t as close to Sandell Place as the customers wanted. But with current housing supply shortages right across Wiltshire it is always going to be very challenging to re-house a large number of customers, particularly in these circumstances.

“And of course, as any of our local homes become available the customers will be considered for a permanent move. But in the meantime, each customer has direct access to a specific customer partner that is there to provide updates and answer any queries they have. This contact remains to be daily unless customers have let us know that it is no longer needed as they are settled in new homes.

“We can assure customers that return to Sandell Place that the remedial work will not only rectify the structural repairs to the building but will also take care of water damage that occurred while the fire was extinguished and any damage that has happened while parts of the building have been exposed to the elements.”

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