Driveway cracks at home near new housing development

Residents have expressed concern after huge cracks appeared in the driveway and garden of a home next to a new housing development.

The house, at the end of George Street, in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, borders the 25-acre building site for 300 homes in the neighbouring village of Huthwaite.

The homeowner, who did not want to be named, told the BBC her family had never had a problem with subsidence since they moved to the road in 1959.

Developers Ashberry Homes said heavy rain over the weekend had "exacerbated" earth movement within the site boundary and work to fix the problem would start "imminently".

Construction work for the major housing development, off Ashland Road West, began in March, after it was approved by the government despite local objections.

The homeowner said the damage to the front of her house happened overnight and she now feared a balustrade, hand built by her brother and herself, could also collapse as building work continues.

Other residents living on the boundary of the site say they are worried about potential damage to their homes.

Linda Jackson's garden used to overlook open fields but she now has the view of the construction.

"We've got a huge drop just on the other side of our back garden now that wasn't there before," she said.

"The lady in George Street was in a similar situation and has subsidence. I need some reassurance that the same thing is not going to happen to mine."

Another resident, Alan Allwood, said he had grown a large hedge in an attempt to block out the development site and feared his home could also be damaged.

"We are worried now they have taken away the bank," he said.

"You have to see to believe how much soil they have actually removed and there is always a possibility that our gardens would go the same way."

A spokesperson for Ashberry Homes, part of Bellway, said the company had been "made aware that there was some earth movement" at the western boundary of the site over the weekend.

"Some of this movement has been identified as historic, while other parts have been identified as occurring more recently within the site boundary," they said.

"We have investigated the root cause of the issue and determined that heavy rain over the weekend has exacerbated this problem.

"We have now put temporary measures in place to restrict any further movement and planned works to the area in question will be starting imminently to provide a permanent retaining structure along this boundary."

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