Residents on estate blighted by potholes hit out at ‘farcical’ row between builder and council

Dale Spridgeon

Residents complain that that living on an estate blighted by a pothole-filled road has left them at their “wits end”.

Bin wagons and delivery drivers are said to be unwilling to enter a section of Llys Tegeirian in Llangristiolus, Anglesey, due to its uneven surface.

One of the estate’s residents, Richard Beckmann, said elderly residents struggled to haul their bins to a collection point, youngsters tripped whilst playing, cars risked damage, and some people had found it “almost impossible” to sell homes.

The estate was developed by Hughes Bros. Ltd, but the road, which serves 11 homes, was never adopted by Anglesey Council, and has been the subject of legal wrangling since then.

The developer blames the council for the situation, while the council says the developer is at fault.

‘Miserable mess’

Mr Beckmann, a member of the 13 – 23 Llys Tegeirian Residents’ Association, described the situation as a “miserable mess”.

The married dad-of-two was one of the first to buy on the site about 12 years ago.

The council said it had served Breach of Condition Notices and there had been several prosecutions against the developer, but the situation remained unresolved.

In response, developer John Hughes claimed he had been unfairly blamed, saying the issue was down to the council “dragging its feet” and failing to adopt the road.

He said going to court had cost the company more than £5,000, and felt their side of the story had not been understood, and that the situation with the council was a “farce”.

Mr Beckmann said the consequence of the ongoing dispute had been “awful” for residents.

‘Nightmare’

He said: “Young children and people fall over potholes, it’s a nightmare for elderly residents dragging bins to where the lorry can collect.

“Some people are at their wits end, others are sad the situation has blighted their dream homes.

“Others have tried to sell, but found it almost impossible.”

Mr Beckmann recently launched a Senedd petition entitled ‘Stop the Plague of Unadopted Roads’ – calling for a change in the law over unadopted roads.

He also submitted a Freedom of Information Request to the council on behalf of residents asking for more information about the issue.

‘Badly let down’

MS Rhun ap Iorwerth, who represents Ynys Môn, has also been asked to help.

He said: “I’ve long made enquiries on behalf of and continue to campaign alongside residents at Llys Tregeirian for the necessary works to be completed on the road.

“This issue has blighted residents for too long and they’ve been badly let down by the developers.

“There’s something fundamentally wrong with a system that allows a developer to walk away without finishing their work.

“I’ll keep working closely with residents to explore every avenue to get the work done, so they can live on a road that is safe and accessible for all.”

Isle of Anglesey County Council chief executive Dylan J Williams said: “This matter has been a cause of concern for us as the Local Planning Authority (LPA).

“Despite our best efforts – including serving Breach of Condition Notices and multiple prosecutions against the developer – progress has been frustrating for all parties.

“As a Local Planning Authority, our powers are limited.

“While we fully understand residents’ frustration, we believe that they should continue to engage with their Senedd representatives as means of moving this matter forward.

“We have also suggested that they could pursue their own legal action through the civil courts.

“We have no powers to carry out work on the developer’s land without permission.

“Moreover, if we attempted to complete the works and claim the money back, there is no guarantee that we could successfully recover any public funds used.

“While we are committed to transparency, the LPA will respond to residents’ FOI request at the appropriate time to avoid prejudicing ongoing investigations and enforcement actions.

“We will, of course, disclose all permissible information.”

Pipe work

Mr Hughes claimed the situation had started after the council failed to inspect pipe work, but then requested for them to be dug up.

“There was nothing wrong with the pipe work, the job was spot on, there has never been any problems, so we refused to dig them up,” he said.

“What should have happened was that the council needed to issue a Section 38, so that funds could be released to finish the work.

“By now, there will be a shortfall, we believe the council should pay.

“It has ended up costing us over £5000 in fines, which will have to be deducted from our costs.

“We are happy to sit down with whoever we need to, to resolve the situation.

“We strongly believe it’s the council who should pay the shortfall, they are the ones that dragged their feet with the legalities.

“We are willing to do the road, but we are not digging up pipes and we can’t do anything until we get a Section 38 – it is like a chicken and egg situation, it’s just been a farce.”