The allotments site that has turned into a dumping ground
BBCEstate residents are still waiting for the development of three allotments they had been promised after many years of delays.
As part of the planning conditions for building in Great Western Park in Didcot, Oxfordshire, construction company Taylor Wimpey was supposed to deliver the allotments before erecting the final dwelling.
Conservative councillor Ian Snowdon said the developer had "abused" the conditions as there was still no sign of any allotments even though the site had been completed for years.
A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said they "remain committed to ensuring that the allotments are delivered to the residents as soon as possible.”
The first allotment should have been up and running prior to the completion of the 1,500th dwelling but Mr Snowdon said the allocated sites were either "just waste ground" or "a dumping ground for Taylor Wimpy’s rubbish".
"[Great Western Park] is a high-density housing development, and these conditions were put in place literally because so many houses would have small gardens and flats with no gardens, meaning allotments are vital to residents," he said.
"Any developer is entitled to a maintenance compound during construction, but this site has been completed for over two years and the compound should have gone at the same time."
He added that SODC had allowed Taylor Wimpey to "abuse" the masterplan's conditions.
"I asked full council to ask South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) to apologies for lack of infrastructure."
Residents living near and around Ash Way, which overlooks the allotments site, said they had seen "absolutely nothing" from Taylor Wimpy or the council on the issue.
"I would love to see a community project there [...] but we don't get that," said Hollie Marshall.
Another resident, Mark Wood, said that there was "not enough provision for the community" to support the amount of people that lived there.
A spokesperson for South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils said they continued to work with the developers on the transfer of 15 prioritised sites, including three allotments".
“Taylor Wimpey has submitted applications for what is called ‘practical completion’ for two of these sites and we hope these will be agreed soon
"The developer will then need to maintain the land for a minimum of 12 months, after which they can apply for transfer to the district councils."
The council added that in the meantime, Taylor Wimpey was removing construction material and machinery from the site next to Ash Way.
Taylor Wimpey said it understood the concerns around the outstanding allotments.
"We have completed all necessary steps, including submitting all relevant paperwork and soil testing results to South Oxfordshire District Council and Vale of White Horse District Council," a spokesperson said.
The company added that it remained "committed" to deliver the allotments to the residents "as soon as possible”.
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