Residents of Bethell Court, Travers Court, Fitznell Court and Elizabeth House in Cheam Village use the communal lounge at Bethell Court as a central point to socialise with each other and host weekly events, like bingo and knitting.
94-year-old Barbara Champion told Your Local Guardian: “I’ve had to see elderly people cry, and I cried myself when I heard what they’d be doing.
“They took all our activities away.
“They’ve given us little rooms that we can use, but they’re too small.
“You can’t fit 27 people in a room that can only fit eight, and there’s four or five of us, me included, on electric buggies because we can’t walk.
“It’s heartbreaking to see people cry.”
Barbara explained that many of the residents are well over the age of 55, with several in their late 80s, and even a 98-year-old.
Barbara added: “They come to the bingo and all the functions, and they love it because it gets them out of their four walls.
“They’re not sitting there with their hands in their laps like zombies.”
Barbara claims that this decision was made as a result of a few incidents that the staff and the housing association won’t reveal to them.
She recalled a speech made by one of the residents last week which “broke her heart” because “everything revolves around her coming to these activities, because she’s deaf and has a desire to see things and walk”.
The plans claim that the communal lounge was a foyer and are reverting to what it once was.
However, Barbara and other residents have said that this particular room was never a foyer and has always been a communal lounge and has called the plans “illegal”.
Barbara said: “One of our other residents had me in tears when I heard her say ‘you’re going to shut me in a room all on my own, and I won’t see my friends’.
“And that, to me, was so sad.
“We want our lounge back.
“It will mean everything in the world to us.”
The residents had their last bingo game on Thursday (March 27), and Barbara said that everyone is going to “miss it so, so much”.
Your Local Guardian also spoke to Maureen King, one of the younger residents in her 70s, who said: “They didn’t consult anyone.
“The original plans have always been that this room is the residents’ lounge.
“We’ve got a kitchen in there and toilets, so why would you have it as a lobby?
“Most of the residents are 80s to late 90s, and they feel like they are going to be stuck inside because they won’t be able to join the others.
“In the lounge, it’s alright because they can walk in there, and there’d be someone in there that they can sit, chat, and have a cup of tea with.”
Southern Housing has defended their decision, saying that residents have come forward with complaints about noise disturbance at Bethell Court.
A spokesperson for Southern Housing said: “We’ve listened to their concerns and, following a review, have agreed to stop this space being used as a communal area.
“Our residents still have access to three communal lounges and a conservatory.
“This means their events and social activities can continue as normal in a more comfortable and private setting.
“We remain committed to supporting our residents by providing a diverse range of engaging events and meaningful opportunities to come together as a community.”
