Long-standing Northampton resident says the state of her area is ‘awful’ and no one takes pride anymore
A long-standing Northampton resident has described the state of her area as “awful” and is disappointed at the lack of pride that people take in contrast to decades ago.
Tracey has lived in Brickwell Court in Standens Barn since 2005, and the grass and hedges have been a particular concern in recent years.
She also lived in the area, in Drywell Court, as a child from 1978 to 1991 – when she was pleased to see the grass, trees and bushes maintained.
“People were proud of the area we lived in, now it just looks like a jungle,” Tracey told the Chronicle & Echo.
Since the summer of 2022, Tracey has raised numerous complaints with West Northamptonshire Council. She claims something is only done after she reaches out and expresses her disappointment. Even then, the resident says it is the main roads that get prioritised over the courts.
Tracey described Standens Barn’s current state as “dirty, unkempt and an absolute mess”, and many people leave large fly tips without reporting them for the local authority to collect.
Tracey first raised her concerns with WNC on X, formerly Twitter, in August 2022, when she was thanked for bringing it to their attention and was reassured it would not crop up again. An apology was also issued for the lack of work done.
She highlighted it again in June 2023, and was reassured a team would be sent to cut the grass and bushes. When Tracey returned from her holiday at the start of July that year, she said it was “no surprise” that everything promised had not been done. It was only the main roads that had been tackled.
“Areas hadn’t been missed, they were ignored,” she said. “They did come and tidy last year, but it wasn’t perfect. Since July last year, all that has been done is grass cutting.”
The same issues have been raised once again in July and August this year, with a continuous back and forth between Tracey and WNC – but nothing had been done between the last communication on August 8 and Tracey’s contact with this newspaper.
“It’s tiring,” she said. “I have better things to do with my time than messaging them. This is an issue with my small area, I hate to think about others.”
Tracey looked back on Standens Barn over the years, sharing her belief that it was an eastern estate many people wanted to live on as pride was taken decades ago. The resident is sad that this is no longer the case, while surrounding areas have improved.
West Northamptonshire Council were contacted for comment and Councillor Phil Larratt, cabinet member for highways and transport, issued the following response.
“Our contractors carry out hedge maintenance through regular inspections and reports raised to us, but we recognise that overgrown vegetation impacts all our highway users whether you’re a driver, pedestrian, using a mobility scooter or a cyclist,” he said.
“We do have a duty to maintain safety and keep vegetation under control and we have to prioritise the work on the basis of safety.
“Sometimes vegetation is owned by a third party and in this case, we would follow enforcement action with the owner to enable private vegetation to be dealt with. However, this can be a lengthy process if the third party is not supportive.”