I was shocked

I have to confess that it has been a few years since I last walked around our urbanisation.

This afternoon, Pam and I did a quick tour in the car following Pam's walk around last night.

Most of the houses have been well maintained and look every bit as smart as they did when they were first constructed. There are others though that have been altered beyond belief and no longer fit in with the original scheme, e.g. garden walls that have been built up in ways that make them incongruous with their neighbours.

We also saw constructions close to boundary walls. When we wanted to replace our wooden shed with a brick built one, we were refused permission on the basis that we could not have a permanent structure closer that 3 metres from any of the boundaries.

The derelict houses and the land surrounding them give the appearance of an area in decline. To add to that, the sorry state of some of the pavements and the rut across Canada de Andrea makes the urbanisation look sadly less appealing than it once did.

The Council has some responsibility for the state of Villas Andrea and I am sure that will be conveyed to the current Mayor at the meeting on Thursday. However, I believe the owners of properties must also take a share of responsibility for the overall appearance of Villas Andrea.