Furious homeowners have slammed developers for making their new build housing estate look like a ‘glorified building site’ after the roads were left unfinished for three years.
Dozens of families spent between £400,000 and £600,000 to move into their dream homes on the outskirts of Worcester back in 2020.
But since then, residents claim the streets have been left untarmacked, making the estate a ‘complete eyesore’ and looking ‘like a bomb has hit it’.
Some locals say they have stopped their children playing out along the ‘unsafe’ streets where drivers have to navigate raised drains, potholes and traffic cones.
One homeowner now fears if he ever wanted to relocate, it would be a struggle to sell his property due to the state of the roads.
Colin Jones, 68, (pictured) moved into his £400,000 home in Oakmont Drive, Worcester, in September 2020, but said his dream retirement property soon turned into ‘a nightmare’ because of the untarmacked roads
Homeowners in the area have slammed developers for making their new-build housing estate look like a ‘glorified building site’ after the roads were left unfinished for three years
Residents claim the streets have been left untarmacked, making the estate a ‘complete eyesore’ and looking ‘like a bomb has hit it’
Colin Jones, 68, moved into his £400,000 home in Oakmont Drive in September 2020, but said his dream retirement property soon turned into ‘a nightmare’.
The former mechanic said: ‘This was supposed to be our retirement home, but instead my wife and I are living on a glorified building site.
‘This whole shambles has made a lovely area look like a bomb has hit it.’
Mr Jones said he was concerned about the danger the roads poses to families and children, especially with a local school located at the back of the estate.
He added: ‘The road layout is not suitable, it is narrowed down to restrict speed but it is likely to cause accidents.
‘There is a corner which is too narrow and too tight so a driver cannot see traffic coming towards them in the opposite direction.
‘So many people walk up this street with pushchairs or on bikes, but the raised drains of up to four inches high make it such a tight squeeze for people to get around.’
Mr Jones said he was concerned about the danger the roads poses to families and children, especially with a local school located at the back of the estate
He also claimed Elan Homes’ work along the streets, where property prices average £500,000, has been constantly delayed by Worcestershire County Council
Mr Jones says the council are constantly finding faults as an excuse not to fix the road
He also claimed Elan Homes’s work along the streets, where property prices average £500,000, has been constantly delayed by Worcestershire County Council.
He added: ‘I’ve tried to contact the council so many times, but they blame the builders who then blame the council and I feel like I’m going around in circles.
‘They don’t seem to care and there’s always an excuse.
‘Every time Elan builders plan to tarmac the road, work is halted by the Worcestershire County Council Highways department.
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‘All this delay just really wears you down to the point where I’m questioning what the council have against this estate.’
Mr Jones says the council are constantly finding faults as an excuse not to fix the road with a neighbouring estate being tarmacked once – but then later removed and redone at more expense.
He said: ‘Worcester Highways just keep finding more and more faults.
‘Three or four times we’ve been told the road is going to be laid, but every time, on the day before or sometimes even the same day, they (Worcester Highways) have turned up and stopped it.
‘It’ll be excuses like the kerbing isn’t straight even though they’re the ones who marked it.
‘In the end, that had to all be taken up and redone which was more money wasted.
Mr Jones (pictured along the road) now fears if he ever wanted to relocate, it would be a struggle to sell his property due to the state of the roads
‘The list goes on and on and they keep finding as many faults as they can until they’ve basically run out of excuses, then they’ll go quiet and you can’t find out what’s going on.
‘I just want this all finished. It’s coming up to three years now since we’ve been in the property and for a lot of people, they might live in a property and within a couple of years want to move on somewhere new.
‘But how can you sell a place when the road isn’t even laid down?
‘Also we’re constantly told to look out for wildlife and protect the environment, but so much material has probably ended up in landfill from all this delay.’
Another resident, who did not wish to be named, added: ‘It’s been a nightmare from day one, it’s just been delay after delay and the roads are still not finished.
‘The work was supposed to be done by last year and still we are left with this eyesore. It’s not safe for children and is also damaging people’s cars.
‘You shouldn’t fork out half a million pounds for a house and be left with streets from the Stone Age.’
A spokesperson for Elan Homes said the road layout at the Stableford development was ‘designed in consultation with and approved by the local authority’.
‘This includes traffic calming measures designed to slow vehicles travelling through the development,’ the spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for Elan Homes said the road layout at the Stableford development was ‘designed in consultation with and approved by the local authority’
A Severn Trent spokesperson said as it is a new development, the work is not for them and is instead for the council and the developer
‘We have agreements in place with Worcestershire County Council and Severn Trent Water for the roads and sewers to be adopted.
‘Before they can be handed over, there is some remedial and maintenance work to be carried out.
‘A groundworks contractor has been appointed and these works are progressing. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by these works.’
A Severn Trent spokesperson said as it is a new development, the work is not for them and is instead for the council and the developer.
A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council said: ‘We can confirm that the site is not yet adopted.
‘We can also confirm that the developer is undertaking significant remedial work onsite at the request of the county council, to ensure the finished development meets the required Highway standards.’
