I READ with great interest your report of increased funding for local authority housing. For some time now I have had concern over the management of the Pearl Street Estate (Douglas Place, Gretna Walk, Periodot Close).

A year ago, I noticed the terrible state of external paintwork.

In many places, whole window frames and other woodwork is quite without paint, the wood being exposed to the elements, some already rotting.

A year ago, I was told that there would be no likelihood of repair and repainting for two years and when I inquired earlier this year I was told that at least another year would pass before work could be done.

I cannot see how this neglect can be justified. The longer the painting is delayed, the greater will be the amount of repair work required. The estate also has other building problems to do with heating and the external rendering of the houses.

I fear that the Pearl Street Estate appears to be neglected because it is relatively small, in an outer area and hidden from view behind Whalley New Road. This is in contrast to the very obvious and extensive work on nearby Roe Lee property and on houses on Whalley New Road in Bastwell.

The management of this estate has led me to wonder whether there is a future in council-managed housing.

I was so concerned about the estate that I took the Bishop of Burnley to visit it on a recent visit he made to the parish in order to highlight the problems to him. I do hope that the increased money for housing coming to the Borough might mean that work on the estate can be brought forward.

REV JOHN CORBYN, Vicar of St Gabriel's, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.