We’ve lost our ‘family home’
COUPLE READY TO MOVE OUT BECAUSE OF DEVELOPMENT
The development has cost us our privacy – we had no-one looking into our back garden but we will have now Elizabeth Wilson
FAMILIES on a quiet road in Ruddington want to move out of their homes because of a housing development at the back of their gardens.
Linden Homes is building 56 homes on Flawforth Lane, and neighbours previously said the countryside was disappearing right in front of their eyes as the houses were being built on greenbelt land.
Now some families are looking to move from Flawforth Avenue, including the Wilsons at number 13.
Elizabeth Wilson, 60, who’s retired, is married to Pete, 66, who was born in their home on Flawforth Avenue and has lived there all his life.
It is a family home that’s been passed down through generations – but the family now wants to move because of the development.
Elizabeth said: “The house has been in the Wilson family since it was built, but Pete has had enough now, as the feeling of a family home has been taken away.
“The development has cost us our privacy – we had no-one looking into our back garden but we will have now.
“You don’t know what tenants you’ll get in the houses, whereas everyone is respectful around here. If someone is having a party, neighbours will tell you.”
Another neighbour is unhappy with the developers after they built an uneven wooden fence which is visible from the bottom of his garden.
Denis Smith, who also lives on Flawforth Avenue, said: “They just came along and put a fence up – ours is dead straight at the bottom of the garden, but theirs is uneven.
“Between the two fences is a lot of growth already, and because it’s so close to the back of ours, you can’t get down there to clean leaves or cobwebs.
“There are a number of families on the road that are thinking about moving.”
But not all residents are critical of the development.
A 58-year-old resident, who did not wished to be named, said: “They helped me out as they culled a hedge – I can’t really moan about them!
“I bought this house to renovate and I knew the workers would be here, and they’ve put up a new fence for us too.”
Alan Bartlett, 83, who’s retired and has lived on Flawforth Avenue for 26 years, said: “We’re not entirely happy, but we’re satisfied – it has got a lot better than it was.
“A lot of groundwork has been done and the dust and noise are a lot more reasonable.
“One of the biggest concerns we have is traffic in the area, and parking in the village is bad too.”
A spokesman for Linden Homes said: “Throughout the construction process for our housing developments, we are required to secure sites from a health and safety perspective, and this can involve erecting fencing at various locations – not all of which will be permanent.
“We remain in ongoing communication with local residents who have contacted us regarding this.”