ELDERLY residents in a sheltered housing scheme are facing forced relocation because their homes are substandard.

Pensioners at Towermill Place in Park Croft, Polegate, may have to move because their landlord says the buildings need to be renovated and modernised.

The complex contains 26 bedsits, seven one-bedroom flats and one two-bedroom flat, with 20 properties occupied. Residents are aged 75 to 90.

The properties are owned by Wealden District Council, which says the homes are unsuitable for people with mobility problems.

But to carry out the work, which would include rewiring and replacing heating systems, the residents would have to leave. The council has not yet decided whether it would be a temporary or permanent move.

A full report on the future options for the scheme is to go to the council's cabinet on May 10.

Polegate MP Norman Baker learned of the news in a letter from the council's director of community services.

He said: "Unfortunately, this looks very much like a no-win situation for the residents at Towermill Place.

"Any option the council opts for seems to involve the residents being forced out, probably forever. Even a temporary basis could be as long as 12 months.

"I accept the council's view that Towermill Place falls well below the basic standards for council accommodation. Nevertheless, this forced move will come as a bitter blow to the residents who have done so much to establish a vibrant community."

Towermill Place is one of 15 sheltered accommodation homes provided by Wealden District Council, which has seen a decline in demand for bedsit properties of this type.

The council has wanted to make improvements for a number of years and had hoped Towermill Place would be eligible for the Government's extra care provisions, which offer extra facilities to people who need looking after but still wish to be independent. However, the scheme was not big enough for a Government grant.

The council's Margaret Kirkpatrick, cabinet portfolio holder for housing and community development, said the council has the residents' welfare uppermost in mind.

She said: "I am very concerned Mr Baker may have caused unnecessary distress to residents by indicating a decision has already been made regarding the scheme. The use of such excitable vocabulary is unhelpful at best."

She added: "We will continue to ensure residents are treated as sensitively as possible. If moving to another scheme is necessary, we will try to accommodate the residents as close to Polegate and their families as possible."

Rosemary Battles, whose 85-year-old mother Mary Hughes is a resident in Towermill Place, said the residents did not want to move.

Mrs Battles, 65, from North Close, Polegate, said: "There are 20 people living there and they are happy in their homes.

"It is a very close-knit community. They don't want to be scattered over the Wealden district. My mother has lived in Polegate for 79 years and my sister and I both live in the area. Where are they going to put them all if they force them to move?"

She added: "We have thrown a spanner in the works by raising this issue but I don't know if it will be enough."