A GROUP of residents are furious after paying an extra £15,000 for a key feature of their home, only to be left with what they claim is an eyesore.
Locals of a newbuild estate in Chelmsford, Essex, say they have been left with a “bomb crater” in the middle of the development.
Residents of a newbuild estate in Chelmsford, Essex, have been left with what they call an ‘eyesore’
Locals like Joe Alderman claim that this ‘bomb crater’ was meant to be a pond
There was apparently meant to be a landscaped pond acting as the centrepiece of the residential area.
However, those who moved in say they are disappointed by the “awful” ditch, which developers say was never meant to be decorative.
It was so unexpected that Joe Alderman, a member of the local residents’ association, said that most people had assumed there was more work to be done to fill the pond up when they moved in.
One resident, named as Mr Bola, told EssexLive: When we purchased this property we were told that we would oversee the pond.
“It was one of the selling points to us. We had to pay more than some but that was fine as we were overseeing the pond.
“To me it looks awful. I would rather not have it than have that.”
He claimed that some residents had paid between £15,000 and £40,000 more compared to other properties on the estate in order to have a view of the pond.
However, the developers, Countryside Properties, said that the pond was never intended to be decorative and, instead, is there to prevent flooding in case of heavy rain.
Another resident, Ms Sawpant, also slammed the state of the estate, saying: “It does not need to be something which costs a billion pounds…but they could at least have done a decent job.”
A spokesperson for Countryside Properties said: “The intent of this feature is not as a decorative pond, and its primary function is to avoid areas flooding in time of prolonged heavy rainfall.
“The application for the North-South Greenway…confirmed the area as an ‘attenuation basin’, which has the purpose of storing and releasing water.
“It should also be noted that the long-term management and maintenance of this feature has already been handed over to The Land Trust.”
A spokesperson for Chelmsford City Council said that they were considering Countryside’s application to put up fencing around the basin.
They said: “The application also includes some additions to the wider site such as a new path and wooden bollards.
“Chelmsford City Council is in the process of considering this application and has sought specialist advice from a landscape consultant.
“No decision will be made until this advice has been received and discussed with the consultant and the developer.
“The site will not be managed by the City Council.”
Developers have insisted that it was never meant to be decorative
