12 hours ago
Furious residents who paid £735k for their dream homes on a luxury new-build estate say they have been left with an 'absolute s***show'
Furious homeowners who paid up to £735k for their dream homes on a luxury new-build estate have blasted developers for leaving them living on 'a building site' - years after moving in.
The prestigious The Willows development in Darlington, County Durham, promised 'executive living' with detached four and five-bed homes starting from £520,000.
Despite construction starting five years ago – and the final home completed in April – swathes of the award-winning 59-home estate remain in a state of disarray.
Its affluent residents say what was sold to them in glossy brochures as a prestigious, high-spec lifestyle has instead become a frustrating ordeal, with unfinished roads, open trenches, exposed cabling, and missing street lighting plaguing the estate.
They accused developer Story Homes of shifting its focus to other multi-million pound projects having sold the last of its 2,500 sq ft homes.
Mike Darrie, 59, paid more than half-a-million pounds to be the first person to move onto the exclusive estate in the sought-after West Darlington area in 2020.
He claims to have spent thousands replacing tyres, wheels and an exhaust on his two BMWs, which he says were destroyed by exposed ironworks on unfinished roads.
Mr Darrie told MailOnline: 'Every wheel on one car is ruined, and three on the other are damaged, and we try and park very carefully.
Homeowners have been left frustated with unfinished roads, open trenches, exposed cabling, and missing street lighting plaguing the estate
'My car's has had three sets of tyres on it. It's only done 30,000 miles. It's about £500 for two tyres.
'I rang Story the other day and they more or less told me to f*** off. They're not just interested.
'It's an absolute s***show, it's horrendous.
'The road is like a four-wheel drive track. I've joked that we'll have a motocross circuit here shortly if things don't change.
'I paid half a million quid for a house - I didn't sign up to get car damage.
'That car was brand new last year and those wheels aren't cheap. And I'm not paying for them. I will take legal action against them.'
Pointing to an exposed drain on an unfinished pavement, directly outside his five-bed home, Mr Darrie added: 'It doesn't matter how much the houses are. If it's £100,000 or £500,000 we shouldn't be left living on a building site.'
Story Homes promised a collection of vast family homes 'all built to our most prestigious specification' which 'combine exceptionally spacious and modern interiors with external character and traditional features.'
Residents have accused developer Story Homes of shifting its focus to other multi-million pound projects having sold the last of its 2,500 sq ft homes
While homeowners say their houses have been built to exacting standards - for which they praised Cumbria-based Story - less can be said for the surrounding land.
Complaints have been made over holes in pavements, unfinished footpaths and unconnected street lighting that has left some houses in complete darkness at night.
Richard Hodson and his wife Karen, both 65, paid £715,000 to secure a five-bed property, thought to be among the most expensive on the estate.
They moved from Solihull, in the West Midlands, in February 2022 after falling in love with the home's secluded location.
Metal fences lie yards from their front door, preventing access to a footpath to the main road that has yet to be completed.
Mr Hodson said: 'We chose probably the most expensive house on the development because of this spot.
'We were all expecting it to be finished in June 2023 and here we are in June 2025, and they're only just getting around to completing it.
'I'm quite a patient person, but I think everyone here is cheesed off now. We've been adversely affected by the raised ironworks in the road. It hasn't done our tyres or our cars any good.
Mr Hodson and his wife Karen, both 65, praised Story for the quality of the 'desirable' houses but said they had become frustrated with the lack of progress to complete the development
'We're only just starting to see some progress, and that's largely down to campaigning by people who live here.
'Until everything gets finally finished, we can't properly enjoy it.'
The couple praised Story for the quality of the 'desirable' houses but said they had become frustrated with the lack of progress to complete the development.
Mr Hodson added: 'Many people are very, very pleased with the quality of the build of their house.
'Story had a lot of goodwill attached to this development, but unfortunately, much of that - if not all of it - has evaporated in the last two years.'
In 2022, Story Homes landed an award for the best residential development in Co Durham for its transformation of The Willows.
One homeowner said: 'It's almost as if they won the award and then they walked away.'
Story Homes insisted it remains committed to completing the outstanding work and has apologised to residents - blaming 'unforeseen technical challenges and ecological requirements' for the delays.
When our reporters visited the development this week, subcontractors had returned to the site to Tarmac pavements and clear rubble after being shamed in local newspaper coverage.
One resident had described the new-build estate to the Northern Echo a 'diabolical health hazard'.
Jane Thirling, 56, and husband Stephen, 61, moved onto the estate three years ago. Outside their home, workmen were using diggers to excavate a vast mound of soil that failed to resemble original landscape designs.
Mrs Thirling said: 'There was meant to be a lovely open space outside our house - we've even still got the housing brochure showing what it was meant to look like.
'My husband's been talking to the council for a year and a half to try and get this sorted out.
'Before this week no-one was on site for five weeks and I think that was the final straw for a lot of people.
'Some people have been living on here for more than five years and they have had enough.
'It takes the sheen off moving into a new home. We've been here three and a half years, we shouldn't still be living on a building site.
'We shouldn't still have metal railings outside our house, when we were promised they'd be gone in six months.'
Mr Thirling also accused Darlington Council of failing to stand up for residents and hold Story Homes and its subcontractors to account.
He said: 'For me, the fundamental issue is with the council.
'Once the last house is sold, there's no real incentive left for the developer to spend money.
'The council were happy enough to start collecting our council tax but not happy enough to enforce the agreements they had with the developer.
'There's been a lack of transparency and a lack of reliable communication from anybody about what's going on.
'I was a project manager, I know things don't go perfectly. But when it goes wrong, don't treat people with contempt.'
Mr Thirling said he would like to see rules changed that would only enable town halls to collect council tax when a development is completed in line with planning agreements.
He said: 'It would focus everyone's attention – both the council and the developer.
'They've been collecting the council tax since we moved in and we're still waiting for what we paid for.
'How they won an award for this, God knows.'
Story Homes, which is embarking on a similar homebuilding project in affluent Wilmslow in Cheshire, said final works were delayed due to 'unforeseen technical challenges and ecological requirements'.
A spokesperson said: 'We have apologised to residents for the inconvenience this has caused.
'We remain fully committed to completing the outstanding works.
'This includes ongoing liaison with Darlington Borough Council to approve final road surfacing, footpath improvements, street light installation and final clearance of the site compound.
'We are taking clear steps to move the development forward and continue to provide regular updates to residents, who we thank for their continued patience and feedback.'
The council insisted: 'Darlington Borough Council is not holding up anything on site.'
A spokesperson for Story Homes said: 'We acknowledge the concerns raised and would like to reassure residents that we remain fully committed to completing the outstanding works at The Willows as soon as possible.
'Delays have occurred due to unexpected engineering challenges and environmental considerations, including the need for further investigation into a specific section of road surfacing, following a recent visit by Darlington Borough Council.
'In addition to completing the road surfacing, we are prioritising the completion of footpaths, street lighting, and clearance of fenced and compound areas, with work progressing in close coordination with the council, utility providers, and our contractors. All remaining works are expected to be completed by the end of summer.
'We understand the disruption this has caused and sincerely apologise for this. Residents continue to receive regular updates from our business, and we remain grateful for their patience and ongoing feedback as we work to deliver a high quality completed development.'
