Residents of an over 50s community have told a tribunal they fear for their safety after a rise in service charges which they claim has not been matched by the standard of security and maintenance on the site.
The dispute centres on Sandy Bay, an over-50s residential park off Thorney Bay Road on Canvey, where residents are challenging a 3.8 per cent increase in monthly service charges introduced from November last year.
During a hearing on Tuesday, residents argued the increase was unjustified, claiming security provision has been reduced while facilities have deteriorated.
Several residents told the tribunal they had witnessed a rise in anti-social behaviour and no longer felt as safe as they once did on the site.
Amanda Bastable said she believed the reduction in visible security had left residents feeling vulnerable. She said: “The barriers are no comparison to on-site staff in preventing people coming into the park to cause trouble.
“In November last year I opened my door at night to go outside and was met with a masked figure who threw something at me.
“I have PTSD. They might think it’s funny, but it has left me scared to go out on my own at night.”
Gary Wakeling, one of the claimants, said many residents had moved to the development seeking security and peace of mind.
He said: “A good 50 per cent of residents are in their 70s and 80s. They came here to live the rest of their lives in safety and peace, but many are now frightened.”
Long-term resident Kaz Duffield stressed that opposition was not simply about paying more.
She said: “The increase on its own is not the issue. We love where we live and we have a wonderful community here. But residents feel ignored when they raise concerns.
“If we’re being asked to pay more, we want the same level of security we used to have.”
Sandy Bay was taken over by Park Holidays UK in 2024.
The company rejects claims that security has worsened, arguing significant investment has been made in new systems, including upgraded CCTV, automatic barriers and automatic number plate recognition technology.
Victoria Osler, representing Park Holidays UK, told the tribunal the technology had modernised security arrangements and reduced the need for physical patrols.
She said: “There have been no patrols since the barriers went up. There were no scheduled security patrols previously. If security staff were called out, they would attend the location of the reported incident. That remains the case today.
“Numbers of reported crimes within the park are significantly lower than in the surrounding area.”
Judge Stephen Evans thanked both parties for the manner in which they had presented their cases and said a decision is expected within four weeks.
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