Residents up in arms over Northwold Estate ‘dumping ground’

Dumping ground: fridges and tyres left on Northwold Estate. Photograph: Emily Jost

Residents have been left “depressed” by local firms using the Northwold Estate as a dumping ground, according to one tenant.

Emily Jost says the landlord’s failure to collect fly-tipped rubbish on time is encouraging businesses to leave waste outside the entrances to people’s homes.

Speaking to the Hackney Citizen, Jost said: “It’s horrific and it’s getting me down. If the rubbish hasn’t been collected for an extended period of time, others obviously feel that it is okay to come and dump their materials here too which is massively contributing to the problem.”

Residents pay a service charge in excess of £55 per month to Guinness Partnerships, the social landlord which runs the estate in Clapton.

Although refuse collection is the responsibility of the Town Hall, the removal of fly-tipped rubbish is included in the service charge, but according to residents, Guinness is failing to deal with the issue.

The rubbish includes fridges, abandoned furniture, tyres and what appears to be discarded building materials.

Jost continued: “There are tyres as well as building materials being left on the estate, which would suggest there are at least two businesses operating locally who are using the estate as a dumping ground.

“There are a lot of kids that play on the estate and a lot of metal and wood with sharp edges lying around which could become dangerous for them.

“On a very densely populated council estate, it is important that Guinness keeps on top of the waste collections but we never see anyone or hear from them.

“People are just fed up with it. I have contacted Guinness and they have told me that they are ‘looking into it’.”

A spokesperson for Guinness Partnerships said: “Fly-tipping is a nationwide problem, which impacts many housing providers, including Guinness. We remove fly-tipped rubbish on a weekly basis from Northwold and can confirm that the collection this week has taken place.

“We move large items, including mattresses, fridges, freezers and tyres on a weekly basis to a secure location and these are collected once a month. The cost of providing this service is paid for through the service charge that all customers on the estate pay.”

Residents dispute Guiness’s claims, telling the Citizen that some of the rubbish on the estate has been present for more than a week.

Guinness “encouraged” customers to come forward with information about who has been carrying out the fly-tipping.

The spokesperson added: “Where we have evidence it is our customers, we can take action on their tenancy, but where others are involved we must work with the local authority to take the strongest possible action.”

Northwold Estate, a large 1930s housing project, is currently earmarked for demolition under a controversial scheme which critics warn could cause 10 years of disruption and lead to “densification” of land for profit.

Guinness Partnerships also came under fire from residents in November 2016 when it gave “no notice” before removing children’s bicycles from railings and leaving them in a pile at the bottom of a stairwell.