Residents challenge Greenbelt Group over fees and maintenance of communal areas and paths on Scartho Top, sparking dispute.
Many residents pay fees to Greenbelt. These residents don’t live in the first building phase, and they are unhappy with the cost and service. They complain about the paths and litter. Greenbelt believes they keep the space well maintained. They know some paths are wet and blame it on the recent weather.
A local councilor, Dan Humphrey, spoke about this issue. He said people dislike the bills and service. Residents pay £184 yearly for maintenance. They also pay over £40 for admin. Humphrey thinks the space should be better than the council’s work.
He said communication is poor, and he reported polystyrene in a stream in May. Julie Styles has argued about bills for three years. She says the company won’t explain the costs, and she owes around £600. Helen Blake believes there is no accountability. Her husband can’t use his wheelchair because the footpaths are muddy and messy now.
Some residents got letters from their mortgage company. The letters advised them to pay the bills. They say late payment fees are unlawful, citing a 2018 legal case about Greenbelt.
Three meetings about the open space happened in late 2024. Martin Vickers MP arranged one meeting, and Greenbelt and residents attended some. Councilor Ron Shepherd has dealt with this for years, but Greenbelt said it was a personal issue between them and the homeowner. Shepherd adds this is private between residents and Greenbelt. Residents knew about maintenance responsibilities when they bought homes.
Greenbelt said they will do work and want residents to report problems directly. One group estimates three million in the UK have similar schemes. Greenbelt says the 2021 fees seemed higher because they managed more areas mid-year. The fee was reduced to £74.91 then; the full yearly fee would have been £128.40, and the admin fee was also lower that year.
Greenbelt says plot transfers allow annual management charges. It includes costs for maintenance and to enforce payments. Greenbelt offers pre-billing meetings where residents get a detailed service statement outlining planned work and costs. They have an interactive website and billing system too. Residents get a yearly statement and a map.
Access to meetings wasn’t restricted, but Greenbelt has a policy against bad behavior. One homeowner made threats to stalk staff, which led to restricted access.
Greenbelt says their areas are well-maintained, but illegal littering and vandalism occur. Wet paths are from recent weather. In December, they repaired fences and grills and emptied bins more near play areas. Greenbelt has no record of Humphrey’s polystyrene report, but it has since been removed. They have cleaned the stream many times for free and can’t control what others do. They asked third parties to help prevent it.
Greenbelt believes they provide high-quality services. Their customer care team addresses concerns, which helps them to improve. Greenbelt doesn’t choose the path type, as it was decided during planning. The company manages about 800 sites and bills 80,000 residents. They promise to answer inquiries in 20 days.