Kayleigh Williams, a mother living in a top-floor flat on Alderman Road in Hunts Cross, Liverpool, has expressed anger after her housing association, Sanctuary Housing, told her that her seven-year-old son cannot play in the communal car park outside their home. She claims the car park is the safest area for her son to play, despite complaints from other residents.
Safe or unsafe? Mother defends car park play area
Williams supervises her son and his friends playing in the car park directly below her flat, which she says is safer than the limited green spaces bordering the flats. The green areas are reportedly littered with debris, and an alleygate and a main road surround the block, making alternative play areas inaccessible or dangerous.
“Someone’s complained about the kids playing. We’ve got green spaces outside but the car park is the safest,” Williams told the Liverpool Echo. “I’ve had a letter from the social housing but nobody else has. They’re doing no harm, they’re just kids.”
Sanctuary Housing letter cites complaints and damage
In a letter sent to Williams in June 2026, Sanctuary Housing stated that complaints had been received about her son playing in the car park. The letter warned: “You have been advised on several occasions you are not to allow your son to play around the car park as it is not a play area. There are green spaces around the area and parks you can take your son to, to play safely and without upsetting other residents.”
The letter also referenced the tenancy agreement, which requires communal facilities like the car park to be used only for their “intended purpose.” Williams disputes claims of damage, saying her son and his friends are not responsible for any alleged car damage. “I’ve lived here seven years and I’d never had any complaints until they started playing in the back,” she said. “No other parents have had this letter, just me. They used to just play football, they’re only seven they wouldn’t know how to damage a car.”
Community tensions and safety concerns
Williams claims her son stays within her line of sight from her flat window and that other children climbing over fences cause the damage. She has tried to redirect play to a game called kerby, which she played as a child. However, she says requests to use parks are not viable because her son wants to play with local friends.
A Sanctuary Housing spokesperson said: “The safety and wellbeing of all our residents is always our top priority. While we understand that children want to play outside, the car park is busy and in constant use and is not a safe environment for them to do so. There have also been multiple reports of residents’ cars and properties being damaged as a result of ball games being played. There are several green spaces and parks in the local area where children can play safely.”
Williams argues that the car park is the only practical option and that the children are being unfairly singled out. The dispute highlights the challenge of providing safe play spaces in dense housing developments.
