Residents at a retirement complex in North Glasgow claim they have had some of their independence ‘taken away’ following a dispute over a common room.
Several tenants at 105 Hopehill Road received a letter earlier this month stating that all personally owned items of furniture must be removed from the shared common room at the property by August 22.
Otherwise, these would be removed by staff at Queen’s Cross Housing Association (QCHA), which runs the independent living facility in North Woodside.
A number of residents had been gathering regularly in the common room to socialise, play games, and watch movies.
However, some felt that the furniture provided by QCHA was uncomfortable to sit on for extended periods of time.
As such, they sourced soft furnishings to allow everyone to comfortably enjoy the space.
Betty Shields, a resident at Hopehill Road, told the Glasgow Times that some people depend on the common room as they are unable to go out on their own.
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She commented: “When I moved in here, it was only tables and chairs that were out for us to sit on.
“Some of the ladies had been here for a number of years, so they sat on them having their tea and watching movies, but obviously, it’s not very comfortable for older people to sit on hard chairs.
“I thought this is a big space, why don’t we get it together, meaning soft seats for the ladies. They were up for it.
“People were going to put the sofas out when they were leaving, but they had all the fire labels on them, so we asked if we could have them for in here.
“We’ve had them for more than a year, and everything was fine. Some people, myself included, took this house because we stay ourselves.
“I took it with the view that there is a common room where we can enjoy one another’s company. At least I can get out a wee bit; some people can’t.
“They depend on this room.”
Residents will continue to have access to the shared common room; however, QCHA confirmed it had decided to revert back to only using the furnishings it had provided.
The move comes after a trial was held where tenants were able to provide their own fire safety-certified furnishings in this space.
The housing association stated that following a review it had scrapped this initiaive.
QCHA noted that the new arrangement can accommodate up to 30 residents and is designed to be “more inclusive and welcoming”.
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A spokesperson said: “We have 34 tenants at Hopehill Road who have access to a shared common room for activities and day-to-day engagement.
“This space must be open and welcoming to all. Following a trial, where tenants could provide fire safety certified furnishings in this area, we carried out a review of the arrangements.
“Following this, we took the decision to revert back to furnishings provided by the association, as this new arrangement can sit up to 30 residents and is designed to be a more inclusive and welcoming space for all residents in the complex.
“We have received a lot of positive feedback from residents within the complex who are happy with the new plans for the common room.”
However, not all residents are happy with the plans.
Mary Cameron, who has lived at Hopehill Road for nearly a decade, claimed that removing the soft furnishings will take away some of her independence.
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She said: “It’s the well-being department that’s doing this to us. Now, they’re not for our well-being if they’re taking all of this furniture away from us.
“They’re taking our independence away when they take this away. It’s company. I enjoy coming down here, and it’s better than sitting in a room.”
Betty added: “A few people have struggled with their mental health and never came out of their flats when it was just the tables and chairs.
“Since the chairs were here, they felt they could come down. It was like a wee sitting room. Some people in here are 80-odd years old; you can’t expect them to sit around a table to watch a film.
“It doesn’t get abused. We don’t bring in our families or visitors, and none of us smoke or drink. The doors are always open in here.
“Everyone is welcome.”
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