It was clear that the loss of Waveney District Council's tenant participation officer, Terry North, in December affected numbers attending the Gunton Estate Tenants and Residents Association meeting on Tuesday.

It was clear that the loss of Waveney District Council's tenant participation officer, Terry North, in December affected numbers attending the Gunton Estate Tenants and Residents Association meeting on Tuesday. Held at the estate's Community Hall in Hollingsworth Road, it was fortunate that county and ward councillors were present and the meeting was able to cover a number of important local issues and concerns. Although no housing officers were present, several matters were brought up; Councillor Allyson Barron voiced her personal concerns over Homeselect and the fact that one of her constituents was told to go to Great Yarmouth instead of Lowestoft for an interview. Waveney's Homeselect tenant representative, Ian Robb, was also concerned, confirming that Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft were run separately form each other. For anyone in Lowestoft who wanted a personal Homeselect application instead of using the phone or going online, the Council's new Marina centre should have dealt with the enquiry, not Yarmouth. There was no reason why a tenant should have been told by Marina staff to travel ten miles out of the area to apply for a council property in Waveney.

Fly-tipping remained a serious issue, notably around Hollingsworth Road shops as well as the back alleyways around Europa Road; a resident from Jeannie Mann Court also complained about the lack of cleaners and wardens in the building. Councillor Cherry raised his own concerns over a proposed development of sheltered housing in Leisure Way. As these were reported to be for very sheltered tenants, several at Tuesday's meeting also wondered why the old Lothingland Hospital site had not been utilized. In reply to questions raised to proposed new housing in Westhall Road and Bourne Road, Councillor Cherry agreed that it was essential that any new-build on the estate was primarily for tenants and not for the private market. There were also concerns about the stability of the site in Bourne Road. In the Gunton Community Park and Wissett Way Pond updates, it was confirmed that work on the park's multi-use games area would start this spring and that two new rubbish bins were also in place on the park. The Friends of Gunton Community Park's annual general meeting will be on Wednesday 13 May at Gunton Baptist Church. As John Ellerby was unable to attend Tuesday's meeting, there was little to report on Wissett Way Pond apart from the tidying up of the pond was still on schedule.

The next Gunton Estate Tenants and Residents Association meeting will be at 7.30 pm on Tuesday 6 June. For more information about the association, its activities and dates of future meetings, contact the chair, Ann Hubbard, on 01502 564601.