“We don’t know where we are going to go.”
Those were the words of a Newmains woman forced to move from her home due to structural damage at the building.
Maria-Ann Devine lives in one of several homes affected in Bonds Drive with her four children.
She was notified earlier this month that because of structural damage to the property, she will have to move from her home while work is carried out.
The homes were constructed by Wishaw & District Housing Association (WDHA) less than 20 years ago with Trust HA taking over the management of the homes after it absorbed WDHA into its organisation.
Maria-Ann told Lanarkshire Live : “We noticed a crack on one of the outside walls when we first moved in back in June 2019.
“Throughout 2020 cracks began to be more visible and we asked for it to be investigated, but it took a bit longer because of COVD.
“Our windows upstairs then didn’t open and that’s when we had people come out and it just escalated from there.
“Last week we were told we were going to have to move out and have now had to fill forms saying whether we want to move permanently or on a temporary basis.
“Trust have contacted us and have been helpful and we’ve have had letters from the MP and MSP.
“Trust have done the right thing by us and the staff at the Wishaw office have been great, but it’s still frustrating.
“We don’t know where we are going to go as it depends what the housing association can offer us.”
Newmains councillor Robert John McKendrick has been in touch with the affected residents.
He told us : “I made initial contact with Trust in early November after a resident expressed concerns.
“I am happy the situation is being resolved as this has been a very stressful and worrying time for the constituents affected by it.”
Jackie McIntosh, director of assets and sustainability at Trust, explained what the problems are regarding the homes.
In a lengthy statement, she wrote: “We instructed a survey by independent engineers which led to the commissioning of a series of intrusive engineering investigations to determine the cause of the issue and what the appropriate remedy would be.
“The results of these investigations confirmed that a small number of properties in Bonds Drive were built using traditional foundations which may not have been appropriate for the ground conditions on that particular part of the site, when these homes were constructed by WDHA (now part of Trust Housing Association) in 2009/10.
“This has led to cracking in these homes some ten or so years after construction.
“It is also possible that a similar defect may also affect other homes in Bonds Drive, therefore as a precaution, we are in the process of arranging similar investigatory work to these addresses before we can confirm this.
“Our engineers have advised that it is unlikely that the other remaining properties in Bonds Drive and those in South Calder Way are affected since they were all either built using a different type of foundation or are built on different ground conditions to the affected properties.
“Customer safety is our number one priority.
"Whilst this is a serious defect at the affected properties, our independent expert engineers have advised that the properties are safe to occupy at present.
“However, the defective foundations must be addressed as soon as is practically possible by carrying out remedial work.
“Unfortunately, these works by their very nature will involve significant disruption to the ground floor of the affected homes.
“This level of disruption will mean that it will not be possible for our customers and their families to remain in-situ as the remedial work is undertaken.”
*Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head on over and give us a like and share!
