A housing estate which features homes worth up to £600,000 has been left in an unfinished state many months after residents moved in. Homeowners and councillors have once again expressed their frustration at a lack of communication from the developer.
The Martin's Reach estate, off Russell Drive in Wollaton, was given the go-ahead in 2019 and all homes had been completed two years later. The pavements, footpaths, allotments and children's play area however have been left in a "treacherous" state.
In February 2022 Nottinghamshire Live visited the estate after concerns had been raised by Labour councillor for Wollaton, Steve Battlemuch, who said delays to its overall completion were "unacceptable". Three months later work on these areas is yet to even commence.
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Avant Homes, the developer behind the estate, is currently building its second scheme in the area known as Woodyard Park. Homes on the the Martin's Reach estate range in price from £240,000 to around £600,000.
Councillor Battlemuch said: "We raised this many times last year and I posted this almost four months ago. Why is it acceptable to you to take peoples money for house sales but leave the roads and pavements like this?
"[There is] still no progress. I was told that they were starting work today but nothing. I think Avant Homes want to win an award for the firm you least want to build houses?"
Residents living on the estate have been demanding any form of communication for months. One resident, Rebecca, moved into the second to last home to be built on the site.
She said: "There has been no communication from Avant and about two weeks a group of men were walking around the development, so I went over to say hello and asked is everything going to happen?
"They said they were looking at a price to do the roads and I thought: Are they only at that point?
"If anything the road is deteriorating. It is getting worse and it feels quite treacherous. There is a real sense that they are doing things to defer it because it is going to be costly.
"They are lovely houses, they are really beautiful, as well as the way they have done the gardens, but the communications are not good at all. Steve has been really good."
And Rachel Hopkins, who has lived in Pond Way for just over two years, said: "I've just had a baby so the roads are really bad when I'm pushing the pram. People have had trouble with wheelchair access. I do not know when they are supposed to finish them."
Avant Homes has now given an update on when work is supposed to commence. An Avant Homes spokeswoman told Nottinghamshire Live: “We are currently in discussions with our contractors to progress the remaining works at our Martin’s Reach development.
"These include the allotments, resurfacing of roads and pavements, and footpath surfacing in the play park. These final works are due to commence in the coming weeks and will be completed in accordance with the obligations outlined in the approved planning permission.”
