“It was a terrible shock,” said one of the residents, 77-year-old Barry Skinner. “There have been quite a few tears as there’s also so much uncertainty weighing heavily on everyone. We have health workers standing by because we’re having to deal with the possibility of suicides; the mood is bleak and people can’t see any future.
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“There’s one man here with the beginnings of dementia but because we’re a community, and see each other as family, we all look out for him. If he was parachuted into somewhere else where he knows no one, it would be very, very difficult for him to survive. People’s mental health is really suffering.”
The owner of the Selwyn Street boarding houses, LFD Developments, was contacted by this masthead for a comment, but didn’t respond. They say on their website that their vision is to develop liveable communities catering to a broad demographic.
In an appendix to one of the 20 reports they prepared for the appeal, they state that the boarding houses aren’t financially viable, citing, “the limited income being received, the ongoing maintenance costs and operation costs including land tax”.
At the NSW Government, meanwhile, Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong said he knew the local community was disappointed to hear of the developer’s decision, but he’s trying to prevent such situations in the future.
Caretaker Clem Marchand, left, with Paddington’s boarding house residents.
“I am working with NSW Fair Trading to carefully consider what reforms to the *Boarding Houses Act 2012* may be needed to balance the rights and responsibilities of boarding house residents and owners,” he said.
But that’s going to be too little too late for the residents, who are all now going to be forced out of their rooms, says caretaker Clem Marchand, 61, who’s been there for 15 years, speaking among the dozens of multi-coloured ‘Save Our Boarding Houses’ signs on display throughout the streets surrounding the block.
He knows the family who’ve owned the boarding houses since the 1920s and says they sold them only a year ago, thinking they would continue to be run as a business with a good rental return.
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“It was a terrible shock,” said one of the residents, 77-year-old Barry Skinner. “There have been quite a few tears as there’s also so much uncertainty weighing heavily on everyone. We have health workers standing by because we’re having to deal with the possibility of suicides; the mood is bleak and people can’t see any future.
#
“There’s one man here with the beginnings of dementia but because we’re a community, and see each other as family, we all look out for him. If he was parachuted into somewhere else where he knows no one, it would be very, very difficult for him to survive. People’s mental health is really suffering.”
The owner of the Selwyn Street boarding houses, LFD Developments, was contacted by this masthead for a comment, but didn’t respond. They say on their website that their vision is to develop liveable communities catering to a broad demographic.
In an appendix to one of the 20 reports they prepared for the appeal, they state that the boarding houses aren’t financially viable, citing, “the limited income being received, the ongoing maintenance costs and operation costs including land tax”.
At the NSW Government, meanwhile, Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong said he knew the local community was disappointed to hear of the developer’s decision, but he’s trying to prevent such situations in the future.
Caretaker Clem Marchand, left, with Paddington’s boarding house residents.
“I am working with NSW Fair Trading to carefully consider what reforms to the *Boarding Houses Act 2012* may be needed to balance the rights and responsibilities of boarding house residents and owners,” he said.
But that’s going to be too little too late for the residents, who are all now going to be forced out of their rooms, says caretaker Clem Marchand, 61, who’s been there for 15 years, speaking among the dozens of multi-coloured ‘Save Our Boarding Houses’ signs on display throughout the streets surrounding the block.
He knows the family who’ve owned the boarding houses since the 1920s and says they sold them only a year ago, thinking they would continue to be run as a business with a good rental return.