Rotten door angers Norwich folk at flats in Ladbrooke Place

The first 19 flats in Ladbrooke Place, just off Ketts Hill in Thorpe Hamlet, are almost completely inaccessible because of the terrible condition of the main entrance, making the door drag on the floor and "extremely" difficult to move for those who live there. 

Rebecca Howell, 56, said the doorframe has slowly deteriorated in recent years but became properly stuck around Christmas time. 

Rebecca Howell is growing increasingly concerned about the condition of the entryway at 1-19 Ladbrooke Place (Image: Denise Bradley)

"I'm getting a bit frazzled about it, to tell the truth," she said.

"This has been getting worse for ages now and it's going to end up with someone dying because they can't get out. 

"There's no back entrance and the fire escapes drop out on the hill so anybody disabled or less able can't use them. Some people are having to use the door to my garden."

The door posts at 1-19 Ladbrooke Place are rotting away and have made the door itself very difficult to move (Image: Denise Bradley)

In 2022, new access control doors were installed to secure the building against antisocial behaviour but the wider structural decay was not addressed.  

In the same year, Green city councillor Ash Haynes promised to take action against the gradual decline of Ladbrooke Place.

Since Christmas, Rebecca has issued a large number of reports and complaints to Norwich City Council about the issue.

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Earlier this month, she received a letter from the City Hall homeownership team saying it would be hiring contractors to work on the dodgy entryway but no start date was provided.

Rebecca Howell has spoken out about the state of Ladbrooke Place in Thorpe Hamlet (Image: Denise Bradley)

Mushrooms are growing inside and outside Ladbrooke Place (Image: Denise Bradley)

This has left Rebecca and her fellow tenants feeling frustrated and increasingly concerned due to a rise in the cases of mould in the building which has even led to mushrooms sprouting from the floors, walls and ceilings. 

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She added: "One of my neighbours has a lung disease and there are mushrooms growing in her bathroom. It's not right."

Norwich City Council and Ash Haynes were both approached for comment. 

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