Residents blame no maintenance on sorry state of Julia Road
The state of Julia Road has angered local residents who feel issues of illegal dumping and vagrants has decreased their property value.
JULIA ROAD residents have raised concerns over increased incidents of dumping, vagrants and a general lack of maintenance in the area.
Residents approached ward councillor, Jethro Lefevre, and asked him to take action after more than a year of complaints to the municipality had yielded no response.
According to residents an illegal designated dump area situated close to residential properties was being used for illegal dumping, a situation they felt contributed to the depreciation in value of homes closest to the site.
“The fence has been torn down by vagabonds who've settled over the bank and burn fires to keep warm, which on one occasion turned into a blaze For almost a year no attention has been paid to the maintenance of the vegetation and no trimming and neatening of trees and bush, especially along the soil-bank area has been done,” said one of the residents who asked not to be named.
He pointed out a pathway that runs from Julia Road to Westcross Road which is used as a ablution facility, where people go to use drugs and where rats are breeding and some people have been assaulted.
On a site visit with Berea Mail, Councillor Lefevre was shocked by the state of the property. Rubbish was piled up, blankets lay scattered on the ground and there was an overwhelming stench of human faeces.
“Open spaces throughout the city are a problem because of the number of homeless and jobless people on the street, which seems to be the result of migrancy, and people not being able to find work in the city. I believe the Parks Department is way too understaffed to deal with these kinds of problems. We need to form an Open Spaces Department to deal specifically with areas where people are staying at night, not specifically putting up shacks,” he said.
Lefevre said he had been in contact with Parks and other various departments concerning the complaints on a number of occasions and would raise the issue with the Parks Department again.
“I appreciate feedback from residents. My ward is very big so people need to report these things to Parks and copy me in on the reference number, which will make chasing up these complaints much easier,” he said.
