A CARDIFF woman claims she is stuck in “fight or flight mode” and living in constant stress due to noise and parking at her apartment.
Collette Raye, 53, lives at Cwrt Idris, a housing development managed by Taff Housing, in Radyr.
Ms Raye told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) about issues relating to the distance of the disabled parking bays on site as well as the constant noise she says she is having to live with.
Taff Housing is a housing association which provides social housing and housing-related support in south Wales.
She said: “Sometimes when my mobility is bad I’ve got to go park over there and if you’ve got crutches it’s difficult to get out of your car, use your crutches, and walk from over there to your home.”
Ms Raye also said that due to the arthritis in her hands she struggles to turn her car into the bays due to their position.
She added: “It doesn’t take long but if you’re in severe pain with your hips it’s agonising.”
Another complaint she told the LDRS about is the lack of soundproofing for her flat.
She said: “I sleep on a mattress on my floor because I can’t go and sleep in my bedrooms, and there’s two bedrooms, because of the noise. You can’t use the bedrooms.
“It’s like living in a matchbox – it’s constant noise. You can hear everything.”
Ms Raye said when the front door to the building is slammed shut it “basically shakes the flat” and when other people put their washing machines on it “sounds like helicopters taking off”.
She said: “It’s just unbearable and even when it’s quiet you’re in fight or flight mode because you can’t relax because you’re waiting for that noise to start back up again.
“It’s just horrible living here.”
Ms Raye said the combined stress from the noise and the parking situation has caused her to be “constantly in stress”, which has affected her health “massively”.
A spokesman for Taff Housing told the LDRS: “We are aware of a complaint made in regard to the newly-installed disabled parking bay at Cwrt Idris and are investigating this in line with our complaints policy.
“This additional disabled parking bay was installed in line with building regulations and standards and we wrote to residents and invited comments prior to installation.
“The location of the additional bay was chosen to provide level access to the surrounding area and ensure it is accessible for all disabled users with a wide range of needs.
“Taff Housing takes noise complaints seriously and ensures that all complaints are investigated thoroughly.
“This particular complaint was investigated and our response to the complaint reviewed by the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales who were satisfied that the complaint was fully investigated in line with Taff Housing policies and procedures.
“We provide all residents with a free noise app or handheld noise recorder to determine whether noise is over the threshold where formal action needs to be taken.
“Even if the evidence threshold is not reached we have taken actions such as installing acoustic flooring to limit noise.
“Taff Housing aims to provide safe and secure warm homes with customer focused maintenance services that meet tenant expectations.
“In the event that we receive a complaint this is logged and addressed through our customer complaints process which has been produced using guidance provided by the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales.”
