Part of the FirstPort Mob
I live on a Redrow development in Llantarnam, Cwmbran. It is sold as a freehold property, yet it comes with mandatory maintenance fees for the upkeep of the roads, pavements, park area and other shared spaces. Barrett‑Redrow still own the land and have brought in FirstPort, a company with a terrible reputation, to manage it and collect the fees. The charges have increased every year and now sit above £400. Despite this, the maintenance standards remain very poor. Most of the work is carried out by Community Property Care, who appear to do little more than basic grass cutting, even when the grass is shrivelled up. I have had to report several issues directly to Community Property Care. These include the park’s rubber matting being covered with stones, roads and pavements littered with stones and debris, sections of the road breaking apart and left for months without repair, and regular problems with litter and overflowing bins. Community Property Care at least respond to emails, which is more than FirstPort usually manage. Some issues have been fixed, but only after repeated attempts. Overall, the service is far below what anyone should expect. I should never have had to point out these problems myself. They should have been identified and dealt with quickly by the people paid to maintain the estate.
By Darren