PEOPLE living in a block of flats who have put up with building works and now noisy student neighbours are demanding compensation.

Alicia Mackie, a resident of Milner flats in Brighton, has sent an open letter to Brighton and Hove City Council cataloguing the issues people have faced during redevelopment of nearby Circus Street.

Her letter follows recent revelations by two councillors, Amanda Evans and Mary Mears, about the anti-social behaviour experienced by people in the flats since the first student tenants moved into their rooms in September. This came after years of misery during construction.

Councillor Evans and fellow Queen’s Park ward Labour councillor Nick Childs are working with the area’s MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle to find a way forward to put legal pressure on the developers and management

company Kaplan to do something.

Ms Mackie’s letter to the council’s executive director for neighbourhoods, communities and housing Larissa Reid, said: “The council … has let tenants down, both as landlords with a duty of care and as project partners in partnership with what must be one of the worst construction companies any of us has ever heard of.

“Until the recent actions of neighbourhood activists, local journalists and finally our MP/newly elected councillors, a whole 18 months went by with what can only be described as a period of blatant verbal abuse and bullying by site staff towards tenants (including myself) and the complete indifference of our landlords who knew of these incidents all along.

“I’m very glad every time council officers and elected representatives admit these errors and promise to make changes, but actions speak louder than words.

“The changes never come. The indignities persist.

“After you yourself attended your first ‘liaison’ meeting in May and stated very clearly that the council had ‘got it wrong’ (you issued a sharp rebuke to Henry Construction and we were glad of that), I’m sad to say there was no improvement.”

Ms Mackie detailed health issues that she faced and her worries for her children.

She said: “Based on my family and those I know of in the flats around me, I think it’s fair to say that it’s highly likely that many other families and individuals have been suffering in ways we can only imagine these past two years.

“When Circus Street was in its midway stages with excruciating noise and choking dust, some tenants of Milner/Nelson/Ivory have been to all intents and purposes held captive inside flats with windows shut and blackout curtains in place.

“Every time I speak to a different nearby neighbour, I hear of more lives damaged.

“Our MP mentioned compensation. My feeling is that the council should carry out a health and wellbeing audit as a matter of urgency based on its duty of care to its tenants (but also based on equalities legislation and the Clean Air Act surely?).

“Yes, we need immediate action (no more warm words please) – action on privacy in relation to the student accommodation, arrangements made for trades deliveries, parking, repair to roads and kerbs caused by construction trucks.

“However, what people here really need is a concrete demonstration of some basic respect accorded to us, be it the cancelling of service charge, fixing of damp interiors, fixing of pointing, resumption of basic cleaning services (hallways/stairwells), TV aerials (where are they?), any or all of these measures should be happening right now.

“Don’t you agree? Frankly, families with GP and social service verification of deteriorating health over this shameful period need a substantial compensation payout and I can tell you that there are families in a far worse state of physical and mental ill health than mine.”

Brighton and Hove City Council was approached for comment.