I live in a retirement block in Bexley, outer London. I’ve had Parkinsons since 2010 and I feel I am reasonably succcessful living independently. I shop and cook for myself, and I do my laundry, keep the flat clean and so on. I will be 80 next year and I am beginning to be nervous about using buses. I have balance problems and use a walker/rollator outdoors. I can get to my GP and the chemist and a small supermarket easily walking. I can get to my consultant by train. But to have any real social life I am going to need a scooter.
I need somewhere to park it and charge it. This is a small block, 20 flats, with a garden area around it, a small car park, 8 spaces, and currently only one resident runs a car. He is wanting to give up his car and have a scooter instead.
We are being refused permission because ‘there is no suitable space available’. Is there anyone with experience of dealing with this sort of management company who can offer any advice about how to proceed?
Hello Mosie
I’m afraid I can’t help you much with your query as I don’t know a great deal about it but I wondered if you or the management company know about storage and charging options. There are several types including this one which the company claim fits under most windows. I wondered if there might be a space somehere around the building for such a store and that this may be acceptable to the management company. It’s just a thought.
However purely by chance when I was looking for a link for you, this came up. I haven’t read it fully but maybe you can use it to your advantage or at the very least you will have a better understanding of how they made their decision.
I hope you are able to find a way to resolve this to your satisfaction. It does seem a bit inflexible when there is car parking that is barely used it doesn’t allow for a mobility scooter to be seen as a car ‘alternative.’ By denying you the opportunity to have a mobility scooter they are curtailing your ability to be independent and I wouldn’t imagine that is what they want for their residents.
Good luck. I will be interested to hear how you get on.
Tot
We live in an Anchor Bungalow , there are 40 bungalows are on the site its called inderpendent living, now as most of us on the site (which is on top of a hill) as we get older need a motor scooter, they have all the rules and regs but no way can we charge our scooters up. Or any were to keep them, so mine is outside my bungalow with a cover and solid chain, to charge it up I have to remove the battery take it indoors and plug in, Don’t forget insurance is needed for you scooter, but again mine won’t cover you for theft after so many hours as I have to leave it out the front. Anchor has lots of care homes, flats, res homes, ect, and quote rules about having your scooter insured and seviced but they do not provide us with the things we need?
Thank you Tot and Mary1947. It is the sheer silliness of some of the regulations which makes me want to scream. I have been offered a parking place outside my flat, but it would only be about 4m from the side of the building. It has to be 6m away before I am allowed to charge it outside. I would have to take the battery inside my flat to charge it. They are very heavy, and I can’t do it. Entry to my flat from this area is up 2 steps and over a door sill, I can’t put in a slope because of the position of a manhole cover. I’ve been told I can bring a scooter into my flat on the level from the front door. In wet winter weather this will destroy the carpets and make me very popular with neighbours. The other resident who wants a scooter lives upstairs. Our lift is small and old. Residents with walkers have been asked in the past, to be very careful using the lift, ie they have been blamed for breakdowns. He will have to reverse either in or out. Happy days!
Your concern is very valid, and it is something that many residents in retirement or managed housing encounter when trying to maintain independence with mobility aids. In the UK, housing and management companies have certain responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010**, which requires them to make reasonable adjustments for residents with disabilities. This can include providing or allowing space for mobility scooters, especially when it directly affects your ability to live independently and access a social life. Since your block has a car park with limited use and some outdoor space, it would be reasonable for the management company to explore options such as installing a small scooter shelter or designating part of the car park for scooter storage and charging. Many councils and housing associations already use such solutions. You may wish to put your request in writing, citing the Equality Act and explaining how refusal impacts your independence and wellbeing. If the management company continues to refuse, you could also seek advice from your local Citizens Advice Bureau Parkinson’s UK**, or your local council’s housing department, as they can guide you on your rights and, if necessary, support you in challenging the decision formally.
Thank you Topmate12 that is very useful information and I hope Mosie and anyone else with a similar problem to can use it to their advantage.
Tot
Would one of the super light self folding ones get into your flat?
There is a problem with the very light ones,-- the lighter you go, the more the stability is compromised. Some of the pavements I would need to go over are very poorly maintained, and in narrow roads residents have been encouraged to park on small front garden spaces, so there is a steep slope down to the road.
The equality act 2010 is interesting but the devil is in the detail of the wording. ‘Reasonable adjustments’ are trumped by fire regulations. Since I first posted the management have balloted residents and got a majority against taking 2 spaces in the car park. Residents seem to have been influenced by fears of relatives not being able to visit because of lack of parking spaces (?) having to pay more for carers who might need to park in nearby streets (?) the entire building burning to the ground because fire engines could not get in the car park…