Residents raise concerns over problems at new housing estate

Liam Randall, local democracy reporter

Developers have been accused of failing residents on a major new-build housing estate.

It follows complaints over problems on the Fern Meadow/Maes y Rhedyn development in Llay, Wrexham, including flooding, blocked drains, uneven footways and incomplete road surfaces.

Other snagging issues reported by occupants of some of the 365 properties include poor quality play facilities, a lack of tree planting and damaged fencing around drainage swales, as well as faults inside their homes.

Llay councillor Rob Walsh said he had been contacted by a number of residents on the estate raising their concerns.

Issue

Joint developers Bellway and Anwyl Homes have acknowledged some of the issues and pledged to address them.

Cllr Walsh said he had seen the faults first hand and expressed disappointment on behalf of residents.

He said: “These last few months I have been contacted by many unhappy residents on the Fern Meadow estate.

“The footways are uneven and the kerbs are damaged, making the estate a trip hazard.

“There are many artificial ramps that look awful. More worryingly the drainage swales are too easily accessible and some of the barriers are damaged or loose.”

Flooding

He added: “My heart goes out to residents affected by the flooding. During persistent wet weather, the green open spaces are absolutely saturated.

“Myself and many others warned this site was a flooding risk but we were ignored.”

The approval of the development on land at Home Farm proved controversial after initially being refused by Wrexham Council’s planning committee in 2015.

Permission was later granted on appeal in 2017 in the face of widespread opposition in the village.

Bellway said it was “working hard” to address the issues raised by residents on the estate.

However, a company spokesperson claimed some repairs were being held up due to ongoing negotiations with residents.

They said: “As a responsible developer, we always strive to resolve any issues as quickly and effectively as possible.

“We have been in regular communication with affected residents and have worked hard to resolve the majority of the items.

“However, in some cases, we have been prevented from taking the necessary steps to remediate the issue.

“We will continue to work actively with those individual homeowners to resolve any outstanding issues within their homes as soon as possible.”

Apologised

Meanwhile, a representative for Anwyl apologised for some of the delays in completing work but said it had received no complaints over flooding or blocked drains on its side of the estate.

Tom Grundy, Anwyl’s managing director for Chester and North Wales, said: “Finishing the open spaces and final surfacing of the roads and footpaths at our Maes y Rhedyn development in Llay has taken longer than we have liked and we’re sorry for any inconvenience caused to residents.

“There’s some work to be done to get the public open space and play area to the right standard, some of which involves tree planting.

“This work will be carried out during tree planting season, which runs from November to February.

“Some remedial works are required to underground pipes under the roads and footpaths before final surfacing is carried out.”

He added: “We have started to prep some of the footpaths on our part of the development and are due to lay the final surface before Christmas, weather permitting.

“Carriageway works will follow in the new year. We are not aware of any current complaints from our homeowners in Llay of blocked drains or flooding.”