Neighbours’ fury over building ‘hell’
THEY SAY NEW BUILDING IS TOO CLOSE TO THEIR HOMES
NEIGHBOURS have labelled the construction of a storage building behind their homes as “hell”.
Local business Ken Wilkins Print Group, which produces much of the food packaging for the UK’S leading supermarkets, is constructing a temporary building at the back of Valeside Gardens, Colwick.
But the work has outraged nearby homeowners.
The family-run company is currently expanding its Road One factory by 44,000 square metres, which it says will create new job opportunities. The Wilkins Group says that as a result of this, a new storage building was needed, with the land already having permission for a temporary storage structure.
But neighbours are angry about how close the building is to their homes and over the construction process.
A Valeside Gardens resident, who did not want to be named, whose garden is behind the building, said: “It is a blooming eyesore.
“It’s right through our window. Two years it could be here,” she said. “We’ve had all the work of it going up and even lorries parking right near our fence. It has been hell. We’re contacting the fire service because we think it is a safety
risk.
“The noise has been terrible for the last week. And we’ve had palettes right next to our garden for three months.
“It started the day after May Day, I think. We didn’t get any notice – it just went up.”
The land has been designated as an industrial area since January 1918, with the Wilkins factory at the far end of Road Eight used as production facility from 1972. The homes were built at a later date.
Resident Neil Foulkes, 59, said he was concerned about safety.
“It has certainly stirred a few people up,” Mr Foulkes, a retired health and safety manager, said.
“If I lived any closer I would be furious with it. I feel a lot for the neighbours who live closer and have it next to their garden.
“The building should be a good few feet further away. I do not think enough attention has been given to the fire risk – it will be filled with cardboard and other stuff that would be combustible.”
In 2000, Wilkins Group moved their packaging production operation to Road One, leaving the ground floor of the building at Road Eight for storage.
But another neighbour said that, although he understood people’s concerns,he was not affected. Martin Reffin, 27, said: I’ve just bought a house down here and I can see why people are upset by it. I know people have been complaining about it. And it doesn’t look great when you walk past but it is an industrial area.” Wilkins has a 300-strong workforce and a multi-million pound turnover. The company told the Post the new temporary building was part of the expansion of the business and that all safety precautions were being taken. No further planning permission or notice was required.
It has been hell. We’re contacting the fire service because we think it is a safety risk
Valeside Gardens resident