Building waste left for years by developers on Coity housing estate

RESIDENTS have been waiting for years for unsafe materials including wires and metal fencing to be removed from a housing estate in Bridgend.

Locals want dangerous objects to be removed from open green spaces used by dog walkers and playing children at Parc Derwen, Coity, but no one will take responsibility for the mess.

Local resident Liz John said the green spaces throughout the estate are “in a terrible state”.

“There are pipes, wires and wood strewn about everywhere. Surely either the developers or the council has a duty of care to the residents.”

Parc Derwen is a housing estate comprising around 1,500 homes. Developer Taylor Wimpey completed the Pentref Newydd at Parc Derwen site in 2016.

Some of the earliest properties were built on the site by Persimmon Homes, the lead developer on the site, a decade ago.

Mrs John, who has lived in the area for around 18 months, said she often walks around land off Heol Spencer and has spotted things like metal poles, wires, wood and rubble lying around grassy areas.

“I’ve been walking my dogs for a few months now in this area and I know the residents have made complaints but nothing is actually being done about it.

“It is a danger to any kids running around or animals. My dogs were sniffing the wires that are coming up from the middle of the ground and there are pipes as well.”

Amanda Williams, an independent councillor for Bridgend County Borough Council, said she has been “chasing” Persimmon Homes for three and a half years asking them to remove the waste left around Parc Derwen.

“You could go anywhere on that estate and see that not one area has been landscaped properly.

“There are metal bars sticking up and all sorts. They’ve just buried rubbish in the green spaces. There’s Japanese Knotweed up there as well, it’s ridiculous.”

Cllr Williams said her friend’s infant daughter cut her leg on discarded building materials while walking to Coety Primary School (located on the estate) two years ago.

“We were walking to school and her friend cut her leg on something just outside the school in the grassed area. She had blood all down her leg and I was so cross.”

She said she reported the incident but nothing was done to resolve the issue.

“I’ve been chasing numerous times for landscaping updates.”

“As well as being an eyesore it’s dangerous”, said Mrs John.

“We’re worried that because of the state of the land it could be used as a tip. People might just start dumping things there once they see the mess it’s in.

“It looks like there are builders’ sacks coming out of the ground as if they’ve been left there and the earth has sort of settled over them.”

Cllr Williams said residents are still waiting for litter bins to be installed on the site, around 10 years after some of the first residents moved in.

Ms John said residents have taken it upon themselves to clear litter, which is a huge problem due to the lack of bins provided by Persimmon Homes.

Cllr Williams said the bins should be installed by the council but the local authority will not adopt the land from Persimmon Homes because it has not been landscaped properly. She, therefore, believes the issue will not be resolved any time soon.

Cllr Williams also said around 50 street lights are not working on the estate.

She said she is concerned about the safety of residents walking around in the dark, particularly given the widespread fear caused by the murder of Sarah Everard, who disappeared as she walked home in Clapham on March 03.

A spokesman for Persimmon Homes said:

“Many of the open spaces at Parc Derwen have matured well, but we accept that there are areas which need attention.  We will act immediately to clear building waste and apologise for that.

“Equipped play areas are currently being installed. Once they are complete it will enable us to landscape around those areas, which will improve the area significantly.

“After much discussion with the local authority, we have agreed to provide bins along the cycle path. These will be installed shortly.

“We have an agreement in place with the local authority’s approved street lighting contractor to replace any lights that aren’t working. We will check to ensure all lights that are our responsibility are working as they should.

“We would encourage residents of Parc Derwen to contact our team with any concerns.”

A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said:

“We understand the concerns raised about the land adjacent to Llys Y Brwyn at Parc Derwen and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“The health and safety of our residents and local people is our priority. While we are not currently aware of any areas of the development in our ownership that require clearance, we will investigate and take action to clear our land if needed.

“We are aware of faults with a small number of streetlights in our ownership and instructed a lighting contractor to carry out urgent repair works as soon as the issues were reported to us. Repair works are ongoing and we expect they will be completed in the next week.”

A Bridgend County Borough Council spokesman said:

“We are following up a number of enforcement issues regarding the overall development at Parc Derwen – once the issues have been resolved and the site infrastructure is brought up to adoptable standards, we will be taking over the ongoing maintenance.”