Western Daily Press (Saturday)
‘IKEA eyesores overlook our homes and are plagued by rats’
PEOPLE overlooking Britain’s first IKEA homes say the “eyesore” buildings invade their privacy, are a target for anti-social behavior and are plagued by rats.
The Bristol development – known as BoKlok on the Brook – is the first of its kind to be built outside of Scandinavia.
But those living in homes which overlook the blocks say their lives have suffered as a result of the project. Residents say they have complained to their local MP.
Building work began in 2020 and was hit by delays, although people are now living in the homes.
Retiree Frederick Truckle, 71, lives on nearby Alard Road.
He said: “I keep my hedges up because they can see in my garden – it’s disgusting. Without that I’d be looking in their windows all the time, and they’d be looking into mine.
“It’s terrible. It’s an eyesore.” Supermarket worker Jackie Bowey, 61, also lives on Alard Road.
She said: “I saw the plans at the BoKlok office in 2021 and they were totally different.
“When they said they were building them, the plans showed that the houses wouldn’t be facing us – that it would be brick. So when they started building I contacted them and said ‘it’s not on because you said they wouldn’t be facing us’. They said there’s nothing we can do about it now. I got onto Karin Smyth MP.
“I said I think it’s disgusting that [the development is] overlooking my garden.”
Jackie says a BloKlok team member came to visit her house after she complained.
She claims: “He came over and said ‘what’s the problem?’. I said ‘can’t you see it right in front of your face?’
“I asked if they could build a higher fence and he said no because that would mean more planning permission. This is my family home and they just don’t care what you say.”
The IKEA homes, built in partnership with construction firm Skanska, sit on the busy A4174. The road runs
Truro
Gloucester
Cardiff
Bideford
Taunton
Exeter
Plymouth
Bristol to the south on the outskirts of Knowle West in South Bristol.
Residents around the housebuilding project have also complained of noise pollution, dust and an increase in rats. Construction work is still being carried out at parts of the site.
The modular houses are not built from scratch on site but are usually delivered in two parts.
Mark, 57, is a neighbour to the development. He would not give his job or surname. He said that his main concern is vermin.
Mark said: “We’ve got traps down the alleyway. We had a bit of a problem with rats before but it got really bad when they started work.”
Building work began on the project in 2020 but was hit by delays.
Developers even had to put people who had paid sizeable deposits in Airbnbs while they waited for the work to be finished, according to local reports.
Complaints were then made about vandals getting into the empty site by breaking through fencing.
A BoKlok spokesperson said: “All homes at BoKlok on the Brook have been delivered as per our planning consent.
“We appreciate that a housing scheme still under development from time to time may cause inconvenience for existing residents and neighbours. However, we are working with third-party contractors to complete all works required for the benefit of all residents as well as those who are moving in during the final build phase. Our aftercare team is committed to supporting our customers and have rectified snagging defects within the reporting times allocation.
“If there are any customers who have a specific concern, which they do not feel has been sufficiently addressed, we would always urge them to contact our customer care team direct.”