Culver Road: Residents furious as Sovereign reveals garage plans

Sovereign wants to build seven two-storey houses at 180 Culver Road in Kings Furlong, where there was a previous controversial plan by Two Saints to build a facility for homeless people.

Two Saints’ proposal for the 23-bedroom halfway house was rejected by the council after hundreds of neighbours raised concerns.

In response, Sovereign has now devised a new strategy to build seven affordable houses on the site.

READ MORE: Feedback sought ahead of plans to build seven homes on controversial site

However, a public consultation event, held on August 3 at the site, took an intense turn as details emerged.

Neighbours were unhappy as out of the seven proposed houses, three are to be constructed in place of 18 existing garages. 

The plan's revelation also shed light on the fact that several residents will be stripped of their parking spaces, causing further anxiety.

While residents generally appreciated the idea of redeveloping the site, the notion of sacrificing garages and parking areas was met with strong resistance.

Carol Archer, a resident who relies on a mobility scooter due to dementia and health issues, expressed her apprehension over losing her garage space.

“It’s a shock for us, it would crucify me,” Carol said.

“If I am having a bad day, I can get lost while returning home. Where am I supposed to put my disability scooter? I have got all my disability stuff in there. It is scaring me to death.”

Carol Archer and Vicki Fird, two Culver Road residents, speak to councillor Abdel Ibrahim. (Image: Newsquest)

Vicki Fird, a Culver Road resident of 57 years, conveyed her unease about the potential loss of her garage, a sentiment echoed by Patricia Biggs, 75, who raised concerns about the impact on community interaction.

Mrs Biggs said: “My first concern is that we would lose the community area. We meet and greet our neighbours near the garages. A few days back I found that we cannot park outside our house anymore because the new houses will get priority.

“My husband uses a wheeler and he can’t walk far from the car. You could imagine the shock when we heard about it. I didn’t have food, and I didn’t sleep. It’s so shocking.”

Culver Road resident Patricia Biggs says she will be worried if her parking space is removed. (Image: Newsquest)

Cllr Arun Mummalaneni, who attended the consultation, said: “I support the plan of four houses in place of 180 Culver Road, but I don’t support the plan for three houses in place of the garages.

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“Some residents will also lose their parking spaces. The new houses will have reserved parking spaces, while people who already live here won’t even have a single space.”

Also among the attendees was Cllr Abdel Ibrahim, who said: “I support the plan with some provisions. Building affordable houses is good for the community.

"But my concern is the impact it would have on people who park their cars here. They said they will provide alternative car parks, but it is not sure where they would be. Some of these residents are very elderly and have disabilities.”

A spokesperson for Sovereign, which has yet to submit an application to the council, thanked people for attending the consultation and said that their views would be considered.

They said: “We’d like to thank everyone who attended yesterday’s public engagement event and provided feedback on our proposals.

"While these remain at an initial stage, we are looking closely at the comments we have received. As part of this, we are considering how the existing garages are currently used and reviewing the availability of replacement garages.

“We’ll take the feedback from this listening exercise and use it to further shape our proposals wherever we can.”