Houses are to be flattened in a UK ‘ghost town’ before anyone moves in. Almost 90 properties could be demolished after the developer was permitted to knock them down for having faulty foundations. The 88 homes were built by Barratt and David Wilson Homes as part of the Darwin Green development in Cambridgeshire.
It was revealed in June that the newly built homes for phase two of development (called BDW2) had issues with their foundations. The developer said this only impacted a small number of homes and nobody was living in them.
But a recent report revealed that 88 fully and partially built homes were affected. The council agreed this week that demolition could take place.
A representative of the developer said they would be “working hard to rectify this situation”. The spokesperson said: “As you are aware, following quality assurance checks earlier this year we discovered issues with the design of the foundations of the units under construction.
“Whilst this is a rare circumstance, the application before you today will enable us to demolish the affected properties to allow us to rebuild to the correct foundations and deliver much-needed housing.
“In our commitment to minimise the effects of the demolition works on the environment and local residents, we will be implementing a comprehensive series of measures to mitigate the impacts of noise, dust, and vibration throughout the duration of the works.”
Chair of the committee, Councillor Simon Smith, told how the developers had been asked to submit a further application relating to the approval of the development to make sure all concerns are identified and addressed.
Cllr Smith said: “This application was welcomed. This committee is concerned to promote the highest possible quality of sustainable housing to meet needs and create places where communities can thrive.
“It is in the interests of existing and future residents of BDW Homes, neighbouring communities and local planning authorities, that all developments are built in accordance with the approved plans.
“This committee encourages BDW Homes to collaborate with the planning officers to prepare and submit an application, so that concerns relating to the finished floor levels and the drainage system at BDW2 can be identified, addressed and resolved.”
