ELDERLY residents at an Ilkley

retirement complex say they have been kept guessing about the identity of their new landlord since August last year.

The owners of retirement homes at Carnegie Court in Spring Lane, Ilkley, were informally told that ownership of their flats had changed hands on August 3, 2001, but were not told who their new landlord was.

The flats are bought by the residents on a 125-year lease, which returns to the landlord after that time, meanwhile overall ownership of the building remains with one company.

McCarthy and Stone, the original owners of the 50 retirement homes sold overall ownership of the complex to Fairhold Home Investments Ltd, London in August last year.

Neither company involved sent residents notification of a change of ownership, according to the chairman of the residents' association.

The residents want to speak to their new landlord, Fairhold Home Investments Ltd about car parking spaces, which they say they were promised when they bought the flats, and which have not yet been provided.

A spokesman for McCarthy and Stone said: "The residents should have been told. I was not aware that they had not been told.

"As for the parking we went back and made additional parking spaces

available."

Alfred Lee, chairman of the residents' association, said: "Those spaces were completed but there was always the understanding that they would provide the others later."

McCarthy and Stone were unable to complete the car parking spaces promised to the residents at the time because a large advertising hoard was blocking the way.

Residents claim that they were promised that within five or six weeks of the notice coming down the parking spaces would be completed.

There are now more residents with cars than there are spaces and they fear that elderly women returning to their homes after dark may be unable to find parking.

The residents' association have

contacted Peverel Management,

managers of the flats, who have expressed sympathy but said that

problems with car parking are between the residents and their landlord.

Mr Lee said that the Peverel Estates Manager told him that the new owners were Fairhold Home Investments but efforts at contacting them have failed.

Age Concern has also written to the company on behalf of the residents but the company have not yet replied.

The Ilkley Gazette tried to contact Fairhold Home Investments without success.