‘We can’t escape builders’ mess’
RESIDENT FEARS FOR CHILD SAFETY... AND HE’S HAVING TO KEEP JET-WASHING HOME AMID DEVELOPMENT WORK
A RIPLEY man has had to keep jetwashing his house after HGVs driving to an under-construction housing estate have continually left it covered in dirt and dust.
House-builder Bellway has been on site at the new Coppice Heights development off Peasehill Road in Ripley since January.
Scores of HGVs have been serving the site, leaving the road, residents’ vehicles and their homes covered in mud and dust, says Luke Roberts. The HGVs frequently block the road and pavement outside the 400-home development, close to Ripley Academy. A road sweeper has been used regularly to clear the mess, says Bellway, but this is felt to be “inadequate”, residents say, and does not solve the problem of mud-covered vehicles and homes – or problem parking.
Mr Roberts, 27, has lived on Peasehill Road for six years and works at Rolls-Royce as a fitter and health and safety representative. He said the mess and disruption is a “massive issue”.
Mr Roberts, who lives with his partner, said: “I never objected to the new houses, as I totally understand the need for new houses, it’s just the total disregard for the current residents who live nearby.
“The lorries are just one of the issues, the other issue is the mud. A lot of residents have to park on the road and the mud left behind is disgusting.
“People are having to wash their cars daily as you can’t even see out the windows – if it’s not mud, when it’s warm it’s dusty.
“The front of the houses are covered, I had to pressure-wash the front of mine. There is one road sweeper trying to keep a road that is three miles long clean, it’s far too inadequate.
“People are having to keep windows and doors shut, lorries parking up are causing nightmares for people trying to leave their drives.
“There’s a school halfway up the road and I’m seriously concerned that a child is either going to be injured or killed. People with pushchairs can’t get past the lorries when they park up and are having to try to cross in between lorries.” A spokesperson for Bellway said: “As a responsible developer, Bellway is taking all possible precautions and actions to ensure residents in Ripley aren’t affected by our construction work at Coppice Heights. As well as using a road sweeper five days a week, for eight hours a day, Bellway has also designated a specific construction traffic route through the site to suppress as disturbance to the area as possible. “Bellway has also offered to sweep the carriageway of Peasehill
Road as a gesture of goodwill and notified all residents of this.
“Bellway remains committed to maintaining this high level of respect for the residents in Ripley for the duration of construction work at the Coppice Heights development.”
The firm won planning approval for the site in August last year with outline permission having been granted at a heated borough council meeting in December 2018.
That debate had seen the now leader of the council, Cllr Chris Emmas-Williams, and then Labour member, Cllr Brian Lyttle, storm out of the Ripley Town Hall chamber.
The scheme will have 27 acres of public open space and a children’s play area. Of the 400 homes, 10 per cent will be affordable housing – 40 homes.
A further 20 affordable homes will be built elsewhere in the borough with money to do so put up by the developers.
People are having to keep windows and doors shut, parked lorries up are causing nightmares Luke Roberts