The name of a contractor building new homes in our village has recently become “mud” for some residents and traders on a Ruddington estate!
HTC Construction is currently erecting the first half-dozen houses of its “Lace Gardens” development – which will eventually see 28 new homes put up at the corner of Brookside Road and Woodhouse Gardens. Two existing houses were cleared from the current site which otherwise used to be a green, open space. The closure and demolition of the current Malmic Lace factory building adjacent is imminent in order to accommodate the remainder.
But, even at this early stage, the builder has found itself at odds with nearby properties and those trying to gain access through to their homes and businesses. The discontentment began in November when Brookside Road resident Dale Collison took to Twitter to complain @htcconstruction: “Your vehicles are destroying Camelot Street and leaving it in a muddy mess every day. The road surface is now wrecked. I also worry about blocked drains your lack of care will now cause…”
The company replied: “Apologies, Dale. The weather is a nightmare at the moment. We endeavour to keep on top of mud. A wheel cleaning station has been positioned on site and road sweepers sent out to deal with the issue. Also, our team are trained to ensure they keep the site clean.”
However, last Thursday, with the situation showing little sign of improvement, James Hill, of J Hill Services Land Rover Specialist on Brookside Road, wrote the contractor his own letter: “I have tried to speak to some of the people on the site, only to be told its a bit of mud on the road – which is completely unacceptable. I have now had to pay for twenty-two valets on customers vehicles. I have expensive vehicles come to me and arrive and leave filthy because of the mud and dirt on the road caused by your construction site. There is no point in me cleaning them myself as they get filthy again when they leave my garage. This is costing me £19 per valet. I would like to know where I can send the bill to for these valets. Not only that, someone is going to have an accident or a member of the public is going to get hurt. I witnessed one of the lorries leaving the site today and it was flicking big clumps of dirt in the air as it went down the road. The tyres should be cleaned before leaving the site. There is mud and rubble all over the road… I understand that your job creates mess like this, but to leave a residential area like this is wrong.”
HTC Construction responded: “Thank you for your feedback. I am sure you can appreciate that with the current weather it is difficult to keep a building site clear of mud, whilst excavator foundations for houses and the new road. We have worked with highways to ensure we are meeting our obligations. We have two road sweepers daily and a wheel washing station. The road sweeper has a difficult job negotiating the cleaning against the on street car parking. Today we have dismissed the member of staff who appears not to have worked to company protocol. A further training session is happening tomorrow to highlight the importance of road cleanliness.”
As for the £418 paid out on valeting? “We will not accept any charges for any vehicle cleaning in the area. It is an inevitable part of driving on roads in a village that vehicles do get dirty.”
Disgruntled resident Ross Hammond also took action – sending the above pictures through to HTC Construction with the message: “I suggest you get some more regular sweeping done on Camelot Street. The site person thinks is acceptable to leave this until it’s swept at 1800.”
He received this more conciliatory reply from HTC Construction: “We are incredibly disappointed by the state of the roads in these images. We would be equally upset if we lived on Camelot Street. A road sweeper has been to site this evening. However, this does not justify that level of mess on the road. We have a new member of staff who has ignored company protocol and will be dismissed tomorrow morning. Following this a team meeting will be carried out tomorrow also highlighting the importance of keeping the roads in the area clear. Please accept our sincere apologies for today’s level of dirt on the roads.”
The company then tweeted this picture (right) of a sweeper cleaning up the mud.
Meantime Camelot Street resident Joanna Jagiello wrote directly to Rushcliffe Borough Council, saying: “I am increasingly concerned and frustrated about the construction work at Malmic Lace in particular the mess they have made in the surrounding area… Camelot Street and Brookside road are filthy and the trucks have also caused a lot of pot holes and made existing ones worse. The area looks awful and it seems the contractor is not proactively looking to do anything about it. Could the matter please be looked into? A site visit is definitely required!”
Principal Planning Officer Emily Dodd responded: “I can confirm that this matter has been primarily dealt with by Nottinghamshire County Council as Highways Authority. I have been advised earlier today that the County Council has now served formal notices under Section 149 of the Highways Act 1980, requiring the developer to clear the road of mud and keep it clear of mud. This should now serve to resolve the matter. But if you remain concerned please contact Jim Freeman (Jim.Freeman@viaem.co.uk) directly.”
Ross Hammond adds: “There is an entire year of construction remaining on the site including a large demolition, no doubt with additional large machinery on a very congested road. Highways have now served a notice on them for this issue but why have they left it to be reported rather than considering local residents and businesses?”
As for the sorry state of the road surfaces, another piece of good news is that this estate is soon to benefit from a share of an extra £20 million allocation of funding Nottinghamshire County Council has just announced for residential streets around the county. Highway repairs followed by Micro Asphalt resurfacing work are scheduled to take place from Sunday March 11th to Sunday March 25th along Camelot Street, Shelton Gardens, Brookside Road, Brookside Gardens, Grange Avenue, Fairham Close and Templeman Close.
Elsewhere in Ruddington, Elms Park residents are in line for new road surfaces, too!
