Neville House tenants left in 'disgusting' temporary housing in Corby for months

People who are due to move into the building have spoken out
The inside of the flats at Neville House have been completed weeks ago - but the lift is still not ready.The inside of the flats at Neville House have been completed weeks ago - but the lift is still not ready.
The inside of the flats at Neville House have been completed weeks ago - but the lift is still not ready.

A family that has been stuck in temporary accommodation for five and a half months has spoken out about the effects of ongoing delays to the refurbishment of a landmark Corby building.

Twelve new tenants had been due to move into Neville House in the town centre last year, but a series of hold-ups have left them in the dark as to when they'll be able to get into their new accommodation.

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A couple with a small child say that their temporary accommodation is mouldy and dirty and has no floor coverings - but because it's classed as temporary housing they haven't been allowed to put down any carpets.

"We were allocated a flat at Neville House in the middle of October and were told it would be ready for the end of November," said one of the family members.

"It then got pushed to the end of December, the end of February and so on and now here we are in the middle of March with no moving in date.

"We were told originally we might be in temporary accommodation for 56 days but it's nearly six months.

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"We are now in a little flat on the Danesholme estate which is upstairs and my partner is really struggling with the pram.

"The floors are so cold my little girl asks to put her socks and slippers on as soon as she wakes up. We have to have the heating on constantly.

"There's mould around the windows. It's disgusting. We've not had any contact from the council. They've given us no information, we've had to do all the chasing.

"We don't even know what the problem is with the lift. We'd be quite happy to just move in and do without a lift."

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Neville House was bought by Corby Council and has undergone a £1.5m transformation but a series of delays have meant that tenants can not yet move in. Earlier this month, Corby Council told the Northants Telegraph that they hoped to be able to commission the lift by the end of this weekHowever, that has not happened, and now the council admits that its contractor is now not due to finish the work until the end of this month.

The tenant added: "We were told we'd have the keys last Friday but now there's been this other delay.

"I work hard, we were both born locally, I pay all my taxes. I don't think it's fair for us to have to wait this long.

"It's really getting to my partner."

A Corby Council spokeswoman said: "Corby Borough Council is currently working with contractors to finalise requirements and we are confident completion on Neville House should be the end of this month. Although understandably frustrating, it is our priority to ensure homes are compliant before we move residents in, which is why there can sometimes be delays in the process."

Have you been affected by the Neville House delay? Contact [email protected] to tell us your experience.