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Fears as giant Leeds ‘crater’ fills with water
SAFETY CONCERN: Residents next to the crater in East Ardsley. Below, Charlotte McGahey, Nicky Crum and Coun Karen Renshaw.
Fears are mounting that children could drown in a ‘crater’ left by a developer.
Residents of The Pastures estate, in East Ardsley, were shocked to find two steep-sided dry detention beds had been dug from a meadow on the development last year.
Bloor Homes, who are responsible for the landscaping, responded to complaints of rubble and fly tipping on the field last year by digging the drainage beds that are meant to remain dry.
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But resident and mum-of-two, Charlotte McGahey, fears that the larger bed, which filled with water last year and froze over before Christmas, could cause a tragedy.
The 37-year-old events manager said: “When they started digging I was horrified to how deep it was and how steep the slopes were.
“The worst case scenario is one of my children falling down that slope and ending up in the water and drowning, I don’t let my little boy play on his own outside.”
Disputes between residents and the developer have been raging for four years over incomplete roads, their failure to build another exit from the estate and the beds.
A 43-year-old resident, who wished not to be named, said: “They have got the nerve to call it landscaping but all they have done is build over a load of rubble and put down poor quality muck.”
She said metal piping buried in the rubble pierced her shoe while she was out walking her dog.
Water rings and ‘danger deep water’ signs were put on the site last year, as it emerged that the drainage system was built higher than the ditch’s water line.
Coun Lisa Mulherin (Lab, Ardsley and Robin Hood) said: “We need to make it safe before something does happen.
“There just doesn’t seem to have been any thought as to how people can live next to it – that is the scandalous thing about it.”
She said that Bloor Homes had sent in several planning applications to amend the beds that were “not acceptable”, with the latest issued in November last year.
A Leeds City Council spokesman said the resident group’s reaction to Bloor Homes’ most recent proposals has been sent back to the developer and the council was awaiting a response.
Bloor Homes declined to comment on the issue.
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Thursday 23 February 2012
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Comments
There are 2 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Mcgriff
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 06:34 PMWith regards to the previous comment - what the article does not state is that the developers did NOT make potential housebuyers aware of what was intended for this area and when the houses were sold the area was in fact open meadowland. Buyers were told it would remain as such. Furthermore, I have re-read the article and am struggling to find the part where it says the residents are asking for taxpayers help??? What it does say is that they are in dispute with the developer - which would be a private issue. Perhaps a thorough read and posession of the full facts before commenting next time may be a better idea?!
Ventra
Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 07:12 PMTo the residents who live there....accept responsibility! You chose there to buy a house....deal with the developer. This is not something taxpayers outside of that area should have responsibility for,
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