Blistering attack on Azure directors in mystery letter unsettles residents

A sinister letter has been delivered to the resident directors of the Azure apartments on Cliff Road, stating a group of residents in the beleaguered luxury block have formed a watchdog group to demand better accountability “from those who govern in our name.”

The anonymous letter was sent by the “Oversight and Ethics Council” and was copied to Atwell Martin, who were recently appointed to manage the Azure’s maintenance.

“We demand transparency, accountability, and ethical leadership from all who claim to govern in our name. We are the people. We are vigilant. We are listening. And we are watching,” the letter says.

It comes in the wake of a heated residents’ meeting in April where the details of a dispute with Devon Block Management came to a head. DBM formerly held the maintenance contract and is now in dispute with the Azure - with questions still being asked about bank accounts and service charge payments.

Cleaning of communal areas of the Azure has stalled due to financial issues, and gardening is now being done by a group of residents.

Some at the Azure have challenged the stewardship of the directors, who have legal responsibility but are unpaid and work in a voluntary capacity.

There are aspects to the Azure saga matter that we know about but cannot report for legal reasons.

The delivery of the 10-page Oversight and Ethics letter has rocked the Azure. It has been posted in the foyer of Azure South, and one resident has daubed “TLTR” on it in red ink. (It stands for Too Long To Read.) It challenges the work of the four remaining directors (some have resigned). The letter questions professional conduct, board meeting standards, communication failures, and sets out what is expected of Atwell Martin.

“There was a time when Azure (Plymouth) Ltd. stood as a beacon of excellence, a place of order, respect, and confidence. Under the stewardship of the previous Board and its professional Chair, the building was managed with discipline, transparency, and precision,” the letter says. “(But it) has been allowed to drift. In a short time, it has gone from respected to ridiculed. We are now mocked in legal circles,” the letter continues.

It demands an urgent residents’ meeting - and lists 13 priority topics that the directors and Atwell Martin must address, including better communication.

The letter fails in one respect - its letterhead misspells the word “integrity.’

But the questions of “who wrote it” and “who are the overseers” hang in the air of the Azure corridors and need to be answered.