The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Local fury at abandoned building site
Residents in Auchterarder have blasted a housing developer over an abandoned work site they say poses a health hazard.
Muir Homes is under fire after failing to clear its former construction compound at the Castleton – a collection of its new homes in the Perthshire town – for six months.
The deserted site is littered with building debris, including pallets, plastic sheeting, fencing, plastic tape, broken signage and pieces of pipe. Temporary offices on the compound are also breaking down, leaving wood, plastic and insulation “open to the elements”.
A community group says the derelict piece of land is not only having a “social impact” on people living in the area, but is a threat to local people and wildlife.
Fiona Mackintosh, chairwoman of Auchterarder Greenspaces Group, says residents are “dismayed, upset and angry”. She told The Courier: “Apart from the social impact for people living here, this is a health and environmental hazard for people, pets and our wildlife.
“The impacts of plastic on our environment are well documented. Leaving all this exposed to the elements means it will end up as litter in our local environment, breaking down into our soils and getting into water courses.”
She added: “This should be treated as fly-tipping
and littering. To simply walk away and allow the site to degrade in such a way shows a lack of concern for our community and our environment by Muir Homes.
“It also suggests a lack of accountability, which is rife throughout the construction industry.”
A spokesman for Muir Homes said the company
was not aware of the issue until contacted by The Courier on Thursday.
He said: “Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
“As soon as we became aware of this, we arranged for our managing director to visit the site urgently.
“He visited the site first thing on Friday morning. We are now putting in
place a plan to deal with the issues raised. This work will be prioritised and completed as quickly as possible.”
The Auchterarder development, which opened in 2014, is a mix of bungalows, terraced and semi-detached villas and luxury top-end three, four and five-bedroom detached villas..