Shipping Container Tenants Given More Time to Find Homes
Deadline for decommissioning Marston and Meath Courts extended
The stacked containers at Marston Court used for housing by Ealing Council. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon
December 7, 2023
Ealing Council has agreed to extend the amount of time to be given to tenants of their shipping container estates to find new homes.
The planned closure of Marston Court was announced this September and it was confirmed earlier this month that Meath Court was also set to close.
The accommodation was meant to be a temporary solution to the borough’s housing crisis but some residents had to live in conditions described as ‘hellish’ with the blocks plagued with infestations, poor heating and anti-social behaviour.
Some tenants reported receiving a notice to quit from the council by 18 December and said they would be unable to find appropriate alternative accommodation before this date. The letter sent to residents told them that they will only be made one suitable offer of alternative temporary accommodation and was claimed that if they refuse, they will have to make their own arrangements.
The matter was raised at the Cabinet meeting that took place on 6 December by the Liberal Democrat leader Gary Malcolm during a discussion about the decommissioning of Marston Court.
Portfolio holder for Genuinely Affordable Housing, councillor Bassam Mahfouz told his fellow cabinet members that it was “felt that the quality of the units both [at Marston Court and at Meath Court] were not in line with the standards we have set ourselves and for our residents.”
Cllr Mahfouz said that in some cases people would be moved out before Christmas. The councillor confirmed that people were already being moved out, with families prioritised for new places.
Conservative councillor Julian Gallant called the situation involving the experimental housing “embarrassing” and asked what the council planned to do for residents who had laid down roots in Ealing and how the council would provide suitable accommodation on such short notice.
Cllr Mahfouz said that the council was liaising with residents to ensure they get the right accommodation. He added: “The [housing] market is completely and utterly broken.”
“We are the one picking up the tab for [Tory decisions in government].”
Councillor Gary Malcolm, leader of the council’s Liberal Democrat opposition, asked if the council would give residents who are struggling to find suitable accommodation flexible deadlines. Cllr Mahfouz responded,“I appreciate that for anyone moving homes it is always a stressful time not less for these families. We want to do that in an empathetic, sympathetic way and that we show flexibility.”
He added that the council will give residents time if they require it to find suitable accommodation “if needs be”.
Most notices to quit give families in Marston and Meath Courts just over a week, in some cases a lot less before their official eviction date. The letter containing the notice tells residents that they will only be given one offer from the council for an alternative property meaning if they reject it for whatever reason they are at risk of losing housing support.
In the letter, the council writes “we want to relocate all households eligible for assistance before the end of 2023. However, in some cases, this may be extended into early 2024.”
Ealing Council announced the closure of Marston Court as part of its four-year plan for the borough, with a pledge to decommission the estate by late 2023 or early 2024. In addition, the council said it would act “to end the need for families who face eviction to stay in bed and breakfast temporary accommodation and invest £20 million in 100 new safe and secure places for people to stay,” which is planned for over four years.
For Meath Court the council originally hoped to have the blocks which contain 60 units empty by the end of the year but now acknowledges that it may not be possible to relocate all households eligible for assistance until early 2024.
Written with contributions from Rory Bennett - Local Democracy Reporter
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