Elderly residents voice concern over new homes
Elderly residents have spoken out against work to build eight houses and three bungalows near their homes.
Work on the six two-bedroom houses and two three-bedroom properties at Staveley Court, Farndon, has already started.
Two one-bedroom bungalows and one with three bedrooms will be built during a second phase.
The work — close to a complex of bungalows for people aged 55 and over — began last week and is scheduled to last eight months.
Mr Walter Lindsey, 88, moved to Farndon from Sussex to be closer to his daughter, Sarah Lindsey, of Balderton.
He said: “Most of the people here are in their late 70s or older and when you are our age all you want is a bit of peace and quiet — and all of sudden this happens.
“They did send me a letter saying they were going to build it, but I thought to myself, if the developers came down and saw all the people here they wouldn’t be so enthusiastic.
“It is going to change our way of life.”
Mr Lindsey’s daughter said the houses would attract families to a road that could become busy with vehicles.
“Our concern is that there will be children up and down here running about,” she said.
“There are going to be lots of cars parked here and if they are pointing the wrong way there is not much space for them to turn around.
“We didn’t get a lot of notification and there are a lot of people living here.
“Of all the places they are going to build, why did they build here?”
Sarah said the work had ruined a nice place and she felt like the developers, Newark and Sherwood Homes, had taken advantage of the elderly people living there.
“Not many of them have got families, really, apart from my father, and a lot of them have serious health problems,” she said.
“I can’t believe they have got to put up with this noise for eight months.
“Walter moved up here from the south and it was a huge step for him.”
'It's horrible the way they have done it'
Mr Arthur Lambert, 83, said: “I suffer from cancer and I am supposed to have a couple of hours rest every day. I can’t do anything with this noise.
“I’m a carer as well and when I moved here 20 years ago it was beautiful.
“I think it’s horrible the way they have done it.
“There was no real communication. It was all done too quickly.
“I live next door to it and they should have knocked on the door and explained what they were going to do.”
Mrs Marian Harris, 91, cares for her 93-year-old husband, Mr Joseph Harris.
The couple were the first to move into the bungalows when they were built 24 years ago.
Mrs Harris said: “We are very disappointed. My husband is 93 and he is a poorly man.
“He likes to sit in the conservatory and watch the green, open space, and I told him about that when we had the letter from these people to say they were building it.
“He is going to miss looking out here and it is going to be unsuitable for us.
“We don’t want it because we are all old age pensioners here and all their traffic will come up and down here.
“Ambulances come up and down here quite a lot.”
Mrs Harris said she received letters about the development earlier in the year and her son-in-law wrote to say they did not think they should build there.
“I don’t think this will stop now,” she said.
“It was such a quiet little street before.
“I don’t think any of us will be pleased about it.”
Mr Rob Main, business manager for strategic housing at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “This area of unutilised land has been earmarked for development for some time and the delivery of new homes in Farndon, which is being project managed by Newark and Sherwood Homes on behalf of Newark and Sherwood District Council, is part of our much-needed development programme, delivering a total of 335 homes across the district over the next five years to help meet the growing need for affordable housing.
“We recognise that during any construction work there may be inconvenience or disruption to local residents and Newark and Sherwood Homes are working with our contractors, Robert Woodhead Ltd, to ensure that they are kept informed of the works being carried out.”