Angry residents left in 'cracked and constantly shaking' homes as Bulkington development takes shape

[dutchman]

'It is like living on a building site' said one of the Severn Road residents



People in Bulkington have said their homes have been left cracked and 'constantly' shaking and have blamed it on a new housing development. Valerie Shufflebotham says the home that she and her late husband worked so hard for in Severn Road has been left cracked due to the Taylor Wimpey development just yards from her garden.

The 79-year-old claims that it is not just her property that has suffered from the 'Raveloe Gardens' development, and says she knows others have too after she personally sent out a survey after repeated attempts to contact the national firm failed.

The firm claims that it has taken tests to check the levels of vibrations and also 'mitigation' for the dust. But residents have refuted their claims.

Mrs Shufflebotham said: "I got so incensed by everything that I decided to do survey of all of the people in the street," she said.

This brought out some alarming results - that many felt their homes had been shaking, others had also seen cracks appear in the walls and some have even spotted workmen urinating around the building site. Sometimes, if you are in bed, it shakes you out of bed, it is like someone is physically shaking you," the great grandma said.

"All this vibration is not good for our houses, lots of us have started seeing cracks in the brickwork, inside and outside of our homes. They say it is going to go on for another two years, I really wonder if I will have any house left."

"The dust is horrendous, it just covers all the cars and windows." she added. "A house with a conservatory down the road had orange dust all over it. You get it cleaned and then it just happens again."

She said that they are not NIMBYs: "The houses have to be built, we have been lucky to have the views of the fields that we have had for 50 years. We accept that this is happening but it is the damage that is being cased to our homes

"I feel that everything we (with her late husband) worked so hard for is being ran roughshod over. I have lived here since 1976, we have never had any trouble until now."

She claims that one of the most upsetting aspects is that repeated calls to Taylor Wimpey to visit their homes have fallen on deaf ears.

"They keep saying they are investigating it, but how they can investigate it when they can't see what is happening," she said. "I have called, I have emailed, I have been passed around from pillar to post. No one has been down, it is so frustrating."

Ultimately she would like to organise a meeting with the company and local residents and has turned to her local councillors for help.

"We need them to come here to see what is happening, we can't go on like this, it is like living in a building site," the widow added.