Concern about new houses on Netherfield Estate

A news report focusing on tenants complaints relating to housing standards at the new Netherfield Housing Estate in Milton Keynes.

A news report by Chris Young covering the reaction of tenants at the Netherfield Housing Estate in Milton Keynes to poor quality construction practices in their homes, and the disruption caused by attempts to rectify problems. The original notes from Anglia Television state that there was an interview with Ray Martin of the council tenants’ association in this report, but that interview appears to be missing from this film. The film opens with a tracking shot of a row of three-storey terraced houses with flat roofs. The houses are very utilitarian in appearance, with burgundy garage and front doors and what appears to be corrugated metal cladding on the upper two storeys. A man with shoulder-length dark hair wearing a black jacket, white open necked shirt, and black flares walks along the road and enters one of the houses via an open door. Inside the house, Chris Young is shown into the living room by the man who demonstrates the springiness of the floor by jumping up and down to show how the television and ornaments on top of it shake from this motion. He explains that the problem is caused by insufficient floor joists which need to be doubled up, and the floor is currently substandard and unsafe. When asked by the interviewer what would happen if he had a big crowd in the room, the man says that the official advice from the corporation architect is that tenants should refrain from having parties in their living rooms without first ensuring that the floor is shored up from the kitchen below. The pair then move to the bathroom, where the man demonstrates that the toilet also moves around significantly when he jumps up and down on the floor next to it. He also states that he has experienced problems with rainwater ingress and kitchen cabinets falling apart. The interviewer asks if he is sorry for moving to Milton Keynes, to which the man says he isn’t because Milton Keynes is a fantastic concept but “… these particular houses are just rubbish”. Another tracking shot of a row of houses is briefly interrupted by a shot of Chris Young with tenant David O’Brien, but the sound is inaudible. The film returns to the tracking shot momentarily before the interview with Mr O’Brien is shown. During the indoor interview, Chris Young asks Mr O’Brien how bad a state his house was in to justify having to move into a hotel. Mr O’Brien says that his little boy running across the room was sufficient to cause the stereo in the lounge to shake around as well as the ceiling light in the kitchen below. When asked what he is claiming £475 compensation from the corporation for, Mr O’Brien says that this is to cover the cost of a new lounge carpet, 9 days lost earnings, and rain ingress in his son’s room which had damaged the carpet and curtains. He bemoans the perceived lack of action from the corporation, and demands a quick resolution. A shot of the building site and a man working on one of the house roofs is followed by an outdoor interview with Ben Affleck, Housing Director for Milton Keynes Development Corporation. When asked how satisfied he is with the houses, Mr Affleck says that they are safe and sound and meet all building regulations. He goes on to say that some of the complaints made by tenants are valid: those regarding water ingress caused by a defective window sill fitting. He refuses to accept that the materials and workmanship are substandard, and says that the properties were constructed in line with the funding made available. A shot of the exterior of a row of houses is shown, followed by a close up of the “Llewellyn” contractor’s hoarding next to the roofs of the houses. The film closes with a statement from David O’Brien, who says that taxpayers’ money paid for these houses and that people should be more concerned with how that money is spent.

Keywords

Milton Keynes; New Towns; Housing; Buckinghamshire; Construction