Residents at a social housing estate in Oxford feel they have been sold a lie after the housing association and local authorities failed to address their complaints.

Anti-social behaviour, noisy building work and “draconian” parking measures are just some of the issues that residents of Newman Place in Littlemore are dealing with.

The estate, owned by Peabody, contains both rented social housing and shared ownership properties, where residents own shares in the property rather than buy it outright.

For Katerina Ilieva, 33, Newman Place was her first home.

She said: “As a single female and a foreigner in this country, it was such a milestone on so many levels.

“I now hate this home, and I am constantly thinking about how to get out of here.

“My mental health has deteriorated massively in the past two years, mainly due to the stress.”

READ MORE: Oxfordshire football fans in court over Reading incident

The company charged residents an additional £180 a month for facilities, including an on-site playground,

Th playground in question was actually "two large tree trunks dressed up as playground equipment", according to residents.

They also said that this lack of facilities means the estate is “riddled with anti-social behaviour”.

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, felt optimistic after buying a shared ownership flat in 2022 while the estate was being built.

However, they described it as a "candidate for the worst estate" in an email sent to the Oxford Mail.

Shortly after moving in, they found out that the Ellison Institute of Technology was being built opposite the estate, causing lots of noise. 

A spokesperson for Laing O'Rourke, the company building the EIT, said: “We are sorry for any disturbance caused by the ongoing construction work at the Ellison Institute of Technology which, once complete, will seek to accelerate innovation in health and medical science, food security, climate change and clean energy.

“We try wherever possible to minimise the impact on the community during the construction process and have put measures in place such as a full-time road sweeper and a road layout that allows larger vehicles to safely access site.

“The work currently underway involves piling activity, which we understand creates a level of noise.

“Those noise levels are within the limits set by Oxford City Council and are monitored.

“We’re largely through this phase of works and will be moving into the construction of the building shell and core.

“A small number of residents have raised some concerns about disturbance, and we have apologised for any inconvenience caused and are in touch with them to review if any further measures might help to minimise impact.”

Residents have also said that Laing O’Rourke, the company building the Ellison Institute of Technology, coned off the public highway.

At the same time Peabody painted double yellow lines on Armstrong Road, a measure that residents called “draconian”, which prompted the county council to give out tickets.

While Peabody clarified that that parking enforcement was introduced in response to concerns about dangerous and inconsiderate parking, the double yellow lines were not removed after consultation period for creating them had ended, meaning they were void.

The anonymous resident said the county council “should have insisted Peabody remove the lines”.

When approached for comment, the county council said that waiting restrictions were introduced on Armstrong Road following an earlier public consultation where the proposals were approved by the County Council.

The added: “Due to the extended time period between the consultation taking place and the works being completed by the developer, it is now necessary to repeat the consultation for the restrictions which will commence shortly.

“If approved, the necessary orders will be brought into effect, which will allow enforcement to take place.”

They also said they contacted Laing O’Rourke, who said the cones were installed to protect the delivery route of piling cages and were removed once the delivery was completed.

They added: “If obstructions on the highway are reported to us, we will investigate.”

Newman Place was originally owned by a housing association called Catalyst, which merged with Peabody in 2022.

Residents said that they had issues reporting repairs after the transition between companies, including having to wait for hours for someone to answer the phone, and dealing with “rude” customer service.

Despite these comments, the estate won the Best Shared Ownership Development award in 2023.

Councillor David Henwood, who has been working to support residents of the estate, said: “My, how much has changed within a year!

“We have reports of leaking roofs, poor communications, unsafe boundary treatments, noise abatement concerns from a nearby development, and anti-social behaviour and an unwillingness to engage with residents.

“We acknowledge Newman Place residents have been neglected and even perhaps deceived by several bodies, faults the awarding body failed to recognize.”

A spokesperson for Peabody said: “We understand residents’ frustrations about parking and are trying to find a fair solution for everybody. 

“We’re working with our construction partner to make good any outstanding defects, and we will be consulting with residents about the play facilities and acting on their feedback.”

When approached for comment, Oxford City Council said: "Any antisocial behaviour should be reported to Peabody or Safer Oxford, who will respond accordingly. Criminal behaviour like theft should be reported to Thames Valley Police."