Residents told to find new homes as sheltered housing complex due to close

At present 18 people live in Hannover Court on Lacey Street - a 1964-built complex that has 23 flats and a bungalow and is owned and run by Anchor Hannover Housing.

A Hannover Housing resident said it had been known for some time that the complex was likely to be closed - but tenants had only found out it had been confirmed in the last two weeks.

He said they had been told they had a year to find a new home - although the housing association says no timescale has yet been decided for the final closure.

The resident said: "I've lived here for eight years and when I moved in I expected this to be my last home - but now we're having to move again. There are some people who are stuck in bed and some as old as 87 - they don't want all the hassle of having to move again!"

Anchor Hannover has spoken to Ipswich Council about finding new homes for the residents - the borough has 556 units of sheltered accommodation - and the resident said he home hoped to move into a council flat.

He said: "Frankly I don't really want to move into another Hannover flat. Who knows if this might happen all over again?"

Alison Seymour, Regional Manager for retirement housing at Anchor Hanover, said: “Following a full and detailed assessment of all the options available, Anchor Hanover has announced that it is proposing to close Hanover Court, Ipswich.

"The review also considered the investment required at Hanover Court and the needs of current tenants as well as potential customers in the future.

"We fully appreciate how upsetting and unsettling this decision is for tenants and we will support them through this difficult period.

"Closing a location is something we only do after a lot of careful consideration and we’ll be working closely with the tenants, their families and the local authority to ensure that the process for identifying suitable alternative accommodation and helping the tenants move is as smooth as possible.

"There is no specific timescale for the proposed closure and the location will not close until every tenant has been offered suitable accommodation.”

Housing portfolio holder Neil MacDonald. (Image: IBC)

Ipswich council's portfolio holder for housing Neil MacDonald said the borough had been told of the closure and that tenants may have enough housing points to qualify for council accommodation that becomes available.