Taylor Wimpey accused of abandoning residents on Langley Park, Maidstone after road still not finished three years on
Published: 05:00, 15 June 2023
Updated: 12:09, 15 June 2023
Residents living on a newly-built housing estate say they feel abandoned over “unsightly” and “dangerous” roadworks still not finished.
Years after they moved into the Taylor Wimpey development at Langley Park, off Sutton Road, in Maidstone, their road remains unfinished.
During that time residents have had to negotiate stretches of potholes and inadequate drainage which means the “road is like a swimming pool when it rains”.
Fran Carver is among a growing number of residents fed up with the state of Edmett Way.
She told KentOnline: “We moved in on February 29, 2020, but the road still remains unfinished.
“And we are constantly being fobbed off by Taylor Wimpey as to when the work will be completed.”
She added: “The first people moved in here eight years ago, so I really feel that this is unacceptable.
“We have already had to replace two tyres this year due to the poor state of the road and the debris strewn about.”
Mrs Carver wrote to Taylor Wimpey telling them that she and her neighbours were “at the tend of our tethers” over the lack of information about the completion of the development. The developer says it is hoping to complete the works “as soon as possible”.
“The road is like a swimming pool when it rains,” said Mrs Carver. “The drainage system is inadequate, and the road becomes flooded, making it difficult to drive through.
“This is a serious safety hazard. My husband had to fill in one area around the drains himself with sharps sand just to stop that area flooding.
“Their workmanship is of such poor quality. The road surface is uneven, and there are numerous potholes.
“This is not only unsightly but also dangerous.”
Her neighbour Ronnie McKeown has experienced even worse difficulties. Mr McKeown, 68, uses a wheelchair because he has had one leg amputated.
He said: “Three times I’ve fallen out of my wheelchair because of the uneven camber of the road.
“It’s like living in a prison here – I look out and all I see is railings.”
His wife Pauline chipped in, saying: “Taylor Wimpey promised us the earth. They said it would be such a beautiful place to live. What we’ve got is not what we signed up for.”
The couple said that the response from Taylor Wimpey to their complaints had been less than encouraging.
Mr McKeown said: “There is no street lighting here and last winter school kids were walking up here in the dark.
“When I rang and said ‘Look you really have to do something about this’, the woman suggested I go out and buy some garden solar lights and they would reimburse me!”
Mr McKeown added: “It’s not like they are still doing any work. The builders pulled out three weeks ago, just leaving piles of rubble and tarmac everywhere. It’s a mess.”
Pauline McKeown said: “They promised us faithfully it would be finished in two weeks. That was in September last year.”
Martee Figueiredo is another Edmett Way resident. She said: “We’ve lived here for three-and-a-half years.
“Sometimes Taylor WImpey have randomly blocked off our driveway, allegedly to work on the road, but no work has been done.
“I work from home so I can say that nothing has happened here for at least the past three months.
She said: “The state of the road is horrendous, and we never got the parking layby we were promised.”
“They’ve just left it and gone.”
A spokesman for Taylor Wimpey said: “We understand the concerns of local residents and would like to assure them that we are committed to completing the outstanding works to Edmett Way as soon as possible.
“We will remain in close contact with Kent County Council Highways as we finalise the programme of work and would like to thank residents for their patience.”
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Alan Smith