Anger as firm applies to build homes near landslip
BBCResidents living on a new-build housing estate where a landslip blocked access to homes have hit out at an application by the developer to build six more houses nearby.
The landslip before Christmas blocked access to Reece Aleksander's and his neighbours' homes at Haden Cross in Cradley Heath, and in March, developer Dunedin Homes said it was working on a temporary measure.
Mr Aleksander said residents were angry at plans by the firm to build more homes when the landslip and other longer-running problems on the estate remained unresolved. He was backed by the Halesowen MP, Alex Ballinger.
Dunedin Homes says it will provide the BBC with a statement during the course of next week.
"Because there's no movement on this landslip, people are just outraged that they've got the audacity to sort of even submit [the application]. There's definitely a feeling of outrage," Mr Aleksander said.
He said the landslip currently looked stable but if it didn't get sorted by winter, he was worried that could change.
"We had that biblical rain a couple of days ago and a lot of the clay and silt was still running down into the road and into the drains," he added.
"Through the winter, that makes things worse."
Street lights in the area have never worked and Mr Aleksander said he was concerned that if they were not fixed by the winter, residents would start to worry again.
Ballinger has submitted a formal objection to the planning application for Farmhouse Close "on the grounds of land instability and public safety".
He said the site had already had a partial landslide and "the situation here is appalling, residents are rightly outraged".
"Further development could exacerbate the instability, endangering new and existing properties," he added.
The MP said residents' homes in Haden Cross Drive were still blocked by last year's landslide.
Earlier this year, Dunedin Homes said much of the work on street lights had been completed and sewers that needed to be taken on by the water company would be adopted "in due course".
At the time, a spokesperson added that the landslip was not a "simple, quick or easy fix" but they were working on a temporary measure.
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