By Owen Hughes, Reporter
FILTHY, badly maintained, and damp bedsits and flats where basic living standards are not met have become synonymous with parts of the centre of Colwyn Bay.
Once the grandest of seaside resorts, many of the former elegant homes have been divided up - with some landlords using the pile-them-high mentality to fill the properties and their pockets.
Standards have slipped alarmingly and the state of these homes close to the town centre has contributed to creating an image of a town on the slide. Residents and councillors have rallied for years to force action to be taken but the same issue keeps returning to haunt a town fighting for regeneration.
Poor housing tends to attract tenants who have their own social problems, which again does little to lift the prospects of Colwyn Bay. Often in a vulnerable position, they have little hope of standing up for themselves and fear the alternative to the bedsit could be the street.
The county council takes its share of flak for failing to act against the “rogue” landlords and there is a strong feeling that more could be done to banish this problem from the Bay. Housing legislation needs addressing so that those failing to meet the basic living standards are not able to rent property until those standards are met.
Stronger legislation should also work to protect those landlords who do make the effort so that swift action can be taken against tenants who leave their landlords high and dry and don’t respect the home they are given.
Respectable landlords need grant money and strong legislation to encourage them to invest and change the image of the town centre and put Colwyn Bay on the road to recovery. Rogue landlords simply need to be shown the highway.
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Dave wrote...
I agree - I also think that what's needed for central Colwyn Bay is complete clearance of the buildings from certain streets and rebuilding with well-designed smaller properties, designed for modern housing needs. A lot of the Victorian housing stock is reaching the end of its life and is unsuitable for the needs of today's population. Until the housing issue is resolved and the town then ceases to become a dumping ground for undesirables, then Colwyn Bay will continue to suffer, sadly.
Posted by: Dave | November 9, 2007 9:13 PM