Strata Homes: Micklefield, Leeds residents anger as developer leaves 'dangerous' work unfinished

Householders at Lavish by Strata in Micklefield say a long list of problems – both inside and outside their homes – have been left unresolved by the developer.

Complaints range from cracks in walls to unfinished landscaping, with residents even left paying extra each month for ‘green areas’ that currently do no exist.

Danielle Farnworth, 30, who lives on the estate with her 18-month son, told the YEP: “It’s just been one thing after another. When we first got the keys and arrived there were still builders in the house finishing off. Since then there has just been repeated snags and I have even had builders in my house shouting at each other over whose fault it is.

“It’s been the same exact thing for my neighbours as well. Over two years in we still have snags outstanding and can’t get any response from Strata beyond ‘we’ll look into it’ – building wise the houses are finished but everything else has just been left.”

Danielle detailed how the estate has been left with untarmacked roads, no proper paths and drains sticking up. After taking to social media to raise awareness to the issue, Danielle and her neighbours were met with responses from residents of other Strata estates detailing similar issues.

She explained: "The drains are full of builders rubble so any rain and the street just floods.

"There are holes in the paths with no fences around, piles of builders rubble that are blocking paths and roadways. It’s just a bit of a nightmare to be honest."

With concerns over the state of the street, Danielle is concerned about her son’s safety as he gets older and wants to play outside more and more.

A particular cause for concern is a large wall in her back garden with a fence on top that has become unstable.

She said: “The fence is falling down, it’s unsafe, so I can’t let my son play out in the garden in case it falls. There’s no paths for him to ride a bike on so we have to go in the road.

"There are quite a few kids on the estate who are a similar age and we want them to get to a point where they can play together and ride their bikes together but we just can’t do that.”

In a statement provided to the YEP, Strata Homes explained that they were aware of the issues and are in the process of completing the works.

A spokesperson for the developer said: “Damage to fencing on our Lavish development, due to high winds was reported to us at the weekend. A member of staff was on hand and reacted quickly to resecure the fence.

“We are currently preparing for final surfacing of the roads, after ensuring that any necessary remedial works have been completed in preparation for this.

“We understand that the final completion of a site can cause disruption and we are working to complete this as swiftly as possible to minimise the impact to our customers.”