9 hours ago
Our ‘disastrous' newbuild estate is getting MORE homes despite being unfinished for 5 years & cut off by two landslides
A DISASTROUS newbuild estate is set to get more homes despite being unfinished for five years and cut off by two landslides.
Local residents have been left fuming at developers plans in the West Midlands with some still cut off from their homes.
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Homeowners say their £400,000 properties have been "plagued by problems" since moving into the Cradley Heath area of the Black Country.
Some have been cut off from their homes for more than six months after two separate landslides blocked roads last March and just before Christmas.
Around a dozen residents of Haden Cross Drive still can't park on their driveways with earth and rubble fell just feet from their front doors.
Others have reported the area "unsafe" as well as other issues including streetlights not working and problems with the sewers.
Locals are shocked that Dunedin Homes wants to build six new homes nearby as the existing area remains unfinished and "looks like a building site".
Matthew McSwiggan moved into Farmhouse Close three years ago and demands the current issues are addressed before any new plans are considered.
He said that locals had "reached breaking point" and building new homes"would be nothing short of a disaster".
"Dunedin have overpromised and underdelivered," Matthew said.
"It would be nothing short of a disaster for new homes to be built at this stage.
"We've been left living on an unsafe and unfinished site for almost four years.
"We still have no street lighting, which led to my elderly mother tripping.
"Only last week were our driveways and paths finally tarmacked, after years of chasing the developer.
"It has caused much anxiety and anger for residents, which would get worse if more homes were built.
"We have been luckier than those in Haden Cross Drive, but we have all been left fearful for our homes."
Engineer Reece Aleksander, 33, lives with his wife Georgia and their baby and says residents feel abandoned on the estate, fearing the problems will never be resolved.
He said: "We can't believe they have had the audacity to submit these plans.
"Surely fix the problems that exist here first, there has been a lot of objections and protests.
"They want to build it on a road at the top of the bank where the landslide happened and a lot of people think this is unsafe.
"When I step outside my house we've still got this big mound of dirt to look at, it's a nightmare.
"Even going up onto my lawn I can still see this big mound of dirt.
"I literally said to my wife that I hate living here.
"We bought a newbuild under the impression that there wouldn't be any issues, maybe a few snags.
"But instead I'm having to deal with this - it's just become an absolute joke."
Another local resident added that the plans were a "disgrace" and developers were "thinking about lining their pockets".
The developer behind the 53-home estate, Dunedin Homes, wants to add six new houses to the development on a patch of land at the rear of the site.
They would be three-and-four-bed homes on a new cul-de-sac around 150 metres away from Haden Cross Drive.
The ground above homes in Haden Cross Drive began to slip last year after a wall gave way and now a huge mound blocks the road to the cul-de-sac.
John Tipper, a Green Party Councillor for the Cradley Heath area, said: "The developers have not remedied initial issues raised by residents with the estate currently, and it defies belief that they would now apply to build more homes.
"The landslip was not the first issue, and the residents have been left living in conditions they shouldn't have to tolerate.
"I think the plan is outrageous."
The developer says it has undertaken works in Farmhouse Close this month.
This includes the final topping of tarmac on all footpaths and driveways, replacing damaged kerbs to all dwellings and plans to get streetlights working again soon.
However, they deny any issues with sewage and drainage on the estate.
A spokesperson for Dunedin Homes said: "Any outstanding works will be completed as demonstrated on Farmhouse Close earlier this month.
"Sadly, the landslide has prevented the final works on and around Haden Cross Drive, but the new engineers and investigations are almost complete, which will soon allow Haden Cross Drive to re-open and the street lighting to be energised.
"There are no issues with drainage or sewage."
