A family’s life is being made a misery as a result of a massive pile of rubble dumped next to their bungalow after the demolition of a neighbourhood pub almost 12 months ago. Paul and Jude Tranter purchased their home, in Hollington Drive, Fegg Hayes, Stoke-on-Trent, two years ago, before The Jester pub, in nearby Biddulph Road, was pulled down.
At the time developers NSJ Contractors were planning to build eight more bungalows on the site – but the local authority subsequently refused their application, leaving both the company and the Tranters in limbo.
Now bricks from the building have been crushed and piled into a huge mound next to their property, with dust from the rubble leaving the family with no choice but to clean their windows every week, rather than once a month.
The problem is so bad it also precludes the Tranters from opening windows and sitting out in their garden.
Mr Tranter, 47, who is himself a builder, told StokeonTrentLive: “We knew the pub was going to be knocked down when we bought our home and that they were going to be building bungalows there. We would rather have that than the pub.
“The problem is the mound of rubble. We went away one weekend and when we came back we could not see anything apart from that.”
He continued: “I rang the owner of the site and said I could do with it moving from the side of the bungalow because the dust is unreal in the summer. I was just fobbed off. I have heard nothing since.
“They have crushed all the bricks. They could sell it as crush but they are not going to sell it if they are building bungalows. They are going to use it as hardcore.
“We are all for the bungalows. It is just how they have left it for 12 months.
“From my son’s bedroom all you can see is the mound. He can’t have his bedroom window open. We can’t open the bathroom window.
“We just want these bungalows built and this mound of rubble moved now.”
Paul’s wife, Jude, aged 44, who is disabled, said she had previously had her windows cleaned once a month, at a cost of £10.
She added: said: “I now have to have them done every week, so I am now paying £40 a month. Paul has to wash his van every week. There is dust everywhere.
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“Kids are getting into the site. They climb up the mound and chuck bricks in our back garden.
“We have to power wash the back garden every other week. The dust is everywhere. I can’t have my windows open.”
Planners at Stoke-on-Trent City Council previously rejected NSJ Contractors’ application to build the bungalows, although fresh plans were submitted last month.
NSJ Contractors director Jason Chapman said: “We are still hoping to get planning permission soon. We are having a bit of a battle with the planners who are reluctant to grant permission.
“The plan is to re-use the crush from the old pub in the development rather than send it to landfill and get rid of it. The development will start at the bottom end. The only place to store it is where it is at the moment.
“As soon as the council grants us planning permission then we can start. Otherwise we can get rid of it, but that is not very good for the environment. The planners do not want eight bungalows on the site, they want it down to about five. That is not viable.
“We are looking at it at the moment. It had outlined planning permission for nine properties. So there is scope for an appeal. The planning contractors we are dealing with feel there is a strong case.”
He added: “I do feel sorry for the family in the bungalow. The issue I have is I do not want to waste construction material. We could move it but as soon as we start we would have to move it back. It could possibly go to appeal or we will look at another scope for it.”
However, not everyone is keen on the idea of siting the new homes in the street.
Speaking last month, Dave Wheawall, aged 52, said: “The site needs something doing with it. I have heard so many rumours, I do not know what is happening with it.
“Biddulph Road already has too much traffic. It can take 10 minutes to get out at the bottom.
“There will potentially be another 300 cars coming on to Biddulph Road. It is a nightmare trying to get up the bank to Chell.”
