Background 
 
Summerhill Grove forms the south side of an ‘accidental’ Georgian square at the heart of a conservation area just outside of Newcastle city centre. An oasis of peace, it has connections to a number of historical figures such as Mo Mowlem, Frederick Douglass, the Pumphrey family and the actor Ralph Richardson. 
 
We, the residents of 3 and 4 Summerhill Grove, have been fighting with Riverside Housing Group and Evolve (their trading and maintenance arm) for the upkeep of the building for over a decade and have been largely ignored, given false promises and subjected to poor patch-up repair work causing ongoing and unresolved damp. This neglect and inadequate maintenance of the building has been going on for seventeen years since they took over the building and six pre-existing tenants. We have now involved the local council who have served legal orders of repair after carrying out environmental health surveys of each individual flat in the property.  
 
Impact of neglect 
 
The disrepair and treatment of the building by Riverside and Evolve has impacted both our physical and mental health for many years, especially with regards to exasperating asthma conditions for a number of tenants. The impact on all of our mental health has been significant, from feeling bullied into helplessness, to tenants being prescribed additional medication and having to take time off work due to mental distress. 
Water coming into properties that has been either ignored or not appropriately dealt with has allowed the development of damp, mould and the growth of mushrooms; this ongoing issue will cause further health issues for us. It leaves our clothes smelling and as professional people this is neither professional nor very pleasant in a work environment.  
The impact of trying to look after and manage our homes to keep them safe and dry takes away from any rest time around our wider commitments and lives. This in turn impacts our ability to be the best we can in our wider lives.  
The impact on the wider community is damage to neighbouring properties and without action will cause damage to the heritage of the area to much anguish of the local community.  
 
Current situation 
Riverside have proposed undertaking only 17% of the work found necessary, with no proposals for any further work, which therefore means continued decay of the building. As part of this they are also looking to get rid of long term tenants in the lower and most damp-affected part of the building, as Riverside's historical and ongoing lack of action has left these areas dangerous to live.  
 
Now Riverside have admitted they will not carry out all the works required to fix the issues created by their neglect and inadequate repairs we are in immediate danger of not just losing our homes but losing an important heritage asset in the community as a whole.  
 
This has the possibility to leave the property: 
Vulnerable to squatters 
To rot from the bottom up 
To lose its heritage status  
To be taken by developers  
To force costs onto tenants and cost them out of their home – not in the ethos of social housing  

Please join us as we call on Riverside to carry out all the repairs in full, holistically, professionally and to a standard that ensures the building and tenants remain a long term and ongoing presence in the community.