RESIDENTS of a block of flats in Basingstoke are upset after being ordered to get rid of chickens that they were in their communal garden.

Residents in flats in Park Gardens were told by Sovereign Housing Association to rehouse chickens they had been keeping as pets on Saturday, August 20.

The residents first acquired the chickens during lockdown, after they had completed work to clear and maintain the garden of their property.

Resident Louise Waller, 42, explained: “The gardens rarely get maintained as it is, so we took it upon ourselves to tidy it up and cut bushes back and trees, so they weren’t touching our homes.

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“It helped with our mental health, and it brought us together.

“And then one resident wanted some chickens, and she got permission to get three chickens, but then the trend went on and it became a community project.”

The number of chickens soon grew, with a hutch and a free-range area being constructed for them.

But earlier this month Sovereign informed residents that they would have to rehouse the chickens and were given three weeks to do so.

While the residents have managed to find new homes for the chickens, the experience has been an upsetting one.

Louise said: “It really brought people out who were lonely and suffered with their mental health and struggle to get out, a lot of us suffer with that who live along here. So being able to do this was a very big thing."

She continued: “I’m just really upset and saddened that one minute we can have the chickens, and then the next minute we can’t.”

A spokesperson for Sovereign Housing Association said: “We are investigating reports of hens being kept in the communal gardens outside flats at Park Gardens in Basingstoke.

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“Our team has been in regular contact with our customer, and we have advised them that we are unable to grant permission for hens to be kept in the communal gardens.

“We allow many of our customers to keep pets, including chickens and other animals providing they keep them in their own home and private garden. However, we are unable to grant permission for hens to be kept in communal gardens.

“Our team will continue to look into this and work closely with our customer.”