Blairgowrie residents ‘unable to put washing out’ due to overgrown hedges

Residents on a Blairgowrie street have issued a plea for help after hedges on the street were left to overgrow.

Tenants at the council-owned properties on Craighall Place in Rattray have complained about the conditions of some gardens on the street.

Mark Milligan, 51, has lived on the street for 11 years.

He said: “I’ve sent emails and pictures to the council and all they do is keep replying with excuses.

“The last one was about a contractor who had pulled out.

“My neighbour was promised last year that the garden next door to him would be completely gutted.

“He’s 75 this year and can’t even hang his washing out because the neighbour’s garden is completely overrun.

“There’s another neighbour who used to grow fruit and he can’t do that anymore.”

Mark says the problem has been “going on for quite a while.”

He added: “The council have said that they don’t have the manpower.

“I try to speak to the housing officer and property inspector but they always seem to be on holiday.”

Rattray residents unhappy over garden conditions

“It’s starting to get on top of me now. I spent £800 last year getting my front garden all nice as well as having a fence in the back for my dogs.

“It’s in our tenancy agreement that we must maintain our garden.

“It has been going on for too long and nothing gets done.

“I moved here 11 years ago and it was nice.

“Now it’s gone downhill.

“Blairgowrie is deemed a tourist attraction, it’s nice to visit but I wouldn’t move here (now).

“It’s a shambles of a place.”

A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: “Under our tenancy agreement, tenants are responsible for maintenance of their own gardens.

“When a tenant does not maintain their garden to an acceptable standard, housing staff will contact them to remind them of their responsibility.

“We offer a garden maintenance scheme for tenants who may need some help with their gardens, at a small annual charge.

“The scheme is open to tenants aged 65 or over, and tenants with a disability also qualify for the scheme if they are in receipt of disability living allowance.”