I note with interest that Brighton and Hove City Council is introducing enclosed balconies in high-rise blocks, on a trial basis.
I do hope there will be full consultation with residents before this work begins. Are many of them even aware this is in the pipeline?
For many elderly and disabled residents such an outdoor area is important, particularly if they have mobility issues and cannot access communal garden areas.
I also worry about our vulnerable residents, many with mental health issues, who end up increasingly housed in high-rise blocks.
Let’s not cut people off from the outside world in what can be, for some, quite daunting and isolated places to live.
It simply doesn’t seem right to box people in.
What about residents who want to keep their balcony? Will some be enclosed and others not?
What about the cost of these “cosmetic” works, which could run into the millions?
This money could be better spent on providing new bathrooms and kitchens for tenants, rather than forcing them to make a choice of one or the other.
Before this work begins, a city-wide consultation is important. This could be conducted through our excellent City Assembly and look into health and wellbeing implications at the same time.
I think high-rise residents might actually like to keep their own private oasis in the sky.
Chris Cooke, Montague Street, Brighton
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