awhite@thekmgroup.co.uk

ONE of the town’s most prestigious new social housing developments has witnessed 10 police call-outs in less than three months.

And the complaints reached a head when police brought in sniffer dogs as part of a drugs raid.

They have descended on Tennyson Lodge, a development of 60 flats alongside the £12 million new Kent Library and History Centre, in Whatman Way.

With its riverside views, fitted kitchens and a cafe/restaurant and hairdresser on site, many tenants believed they had struck gold when they were offered the chance to live there. But a minority are taking their plush new surroundings for granted.

After the complaints, officers launched the raid. A 21-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man were given formal warnings after police dogs detected cannabis in two of the apartments.

Three complaints were logged with police in the first month and there have been seven so far in May. The incidents include six domestic cases, two suicide risks, someone being a nuisance and one call about criminal damage.

One of the suicide call-outs concerned tenant Ronald Goslitski, who died in his flat, aged 36, on Wednesday, March 7. It is understood he collapsed some time after taking heroin.

West Kent Housing Association said it was aware of five complaints, and asked potential tenants to sign an agreement committing to certain standards of behaviour before moving in.

Tennyson Lodge shares a site with Thomas Place, a block of 57 flats occupied by with people with medical needs, aged over 55.

An elderly woman, who asked not to be named, said she regularly endures noise from her neighbours, but had not heard about the latest drugs raid.

She said: "It’s a lovely place to live but they’ve given them to people who do not appreciate it. They should give the flats to people who will respect them."

Ursula Harris, head of housing at West Kent Housing Association, said: "We want our homes to be safe and enjoyable places to live, where people take responsibility for acting in a reasonable manner.

"We hope this operation and warnings placed on a minority of residents will prevent further problems, or individuals could face eviction."