An Aberdeenshire pensioner living in a sheltered housing complex has raised concerns about building maintenance after dealing with ongoing heating issues.
Ken Campbell has lived in his one-bedroom flat at Blackhills Court in Westhill for the past decade.
But in recent years, the 76-year-old has been in contact with Aberdeenshire Council, who run the sheltered housing about a number of problems – with mixed results.
As well as heating issues, Mr Campbell – who uses a walking stick and wheelchair – has also raised serious concerns over the condition of the car park. He himself has fallen out of his wheelchair as a result of the potholes and fears other residents may also be injured.
He believes many of the issues stem from the lack of maintenance carried out at the site since it was built about 50 years ago.
“I’ve got letters dating back four years which state repairs will be completed that never have been,” he said. “Nothing ever seems to happen.”
“It’s all been going on, previously it was water hammer and 18 months ago the ceiling came down after someone had burst pipes.
“The system regulating the heating in my flat is not working at the moment. It’s been out two or three times now.
“The heater in my living room only works on number four so it’s too hot. I’ve had to buy a portable heater to keep warm.”
Worried about vulnerable Westhill residents
Mr Campbell complained about loud noises coming from his pipes last September which he was told was water hammer.
He said the noise was “frightening” and would regularly wake him up in the early hours.
Aberdeenshire Council said investigations were carried out in a number of flats but no other complaints were filed about the water hammer issue.
Mr Campbell, who has several medical conditions, lives in one of the 31 flats in the sheltered complex.
He shared that he has injured himself in the communal car park due to the unstable surface which is scattered with potholes – and he is worried other vulnerable residents could also be hurt.
“It’s affecting people with zimmer frames, walking sticks, wheelchairs, on a surface like that, with loose chippings. A carer pushes me in my wheelchair and I’ve fallen out of the chair a few times.
“The people in this building are very vulnerable, elderly or disabled, the majority I would say.”
Mr Campbell’s concerns date back five years and include his report of a mystery culprit frequently knocking on residents’ doors and ringing doorbells in the middle of the night.
He said this experience was “frightening” for himself and others and led to the council installing CCTV at the complex in 2018.
Aberdeenshire Council working to help Blackhills Court concerns
Aberdeenshire Council has said its teams are working directly with Mr Campbell on the issues he has raised.
A spokesman for the local authority said: “We are engaging with Mr Campbell to help with his concerns. An engineer visited the site and did not identify anything above normal operating noise.
“They did find two heating-valve heads slightly too tight to turn and these are being replaced.
“All flats at the property have been checked for water hammer and radiator noise and we are not aware of any other complaints by residents at Blackhills Court.
“We have not been able to identify any immediate issue with the car park surface, but we are happy to help where we can if anything is uncovered from further discussion.”
Conversation