William Gardens: "squatters out!"

Like many local residents, I've been appalled to witness how William Gardens, just behind St Margaret's Church in West Putney, has been taken over by squatters in recent weeks.

I cannot believe that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) - who own the estate and who have been decanting families from the blocks in order to renovate and make them fit for housing Servicemen and women and their families - did not imagine that leaving a derelict estate unsecured would not be a massively tempting target for squatters.

My anger with the MoD is that the legal action they will now have to pursue to reclaim William Gardens will delay the start date for the much needed renovations and therefore the date by which soldiers will be able to take up residence. And the costs of such action will, in all likelihood, far exceed the costs of some secure fencing, barbed wire and a few padlocks.

And equally, while some among those now squatting in William Gardens may or may not have some other recourse to avoid sleeping rough, I find it hard to believe that they are more deserving of space in this development than those who have fought - and in some cases been badly injured - in service to their country.

It has taken the MoD far too long to decant families from William Gardens - the last family left in July but the process has taken almost two years. While families need to be moved to suitable equivalent homes and be supported during the moving process, there is little more soul-destroying than being left behind as your neighbours and friends are moved out and you're left in an isolated estate on your own.

When the MoD decided to renovate William Gardens they should have decanted residents quickly; they should have had a schedule of works ready to commence as soon as the last family left and if that was unachievable they should have secured the site effectively until they were able to start works.