Our neighbour's homes were built 2.4m TOO HIGH

Locals have claimed a housing development was built 2.4 metres too high and has left neighbours' newbuilds towering over for them.

For decades those living in the area enjoyed unspoilt views of the Staffordshire countryside with fields as far as the eye could see.

But now they are penned in by a Persimmon homes development that left local planners exclaiming: 'I can't believe we approved this.'

Nurse Tracy Milward, 55, and husband Adrian, 56, built their property on Froghall Road in 1993.

She recalled: 'At the time the planning authority told us we could only have a dormer bungalow because of the undulating land.

'Now we have the equivalent of a three-storey house towering just 10 yards from our boundary.

'The original plans did not include elevation drawings. When the work began we watched them construct a massive wall and it became clear they were building the land up by four foot to make it easier for them.

'We objected straight away – before a brick was built in any of the homes, but we were just dismissed.

'Persimmon's attitude was that they'll do what they like and put in for retrospective permission once it's done.

'They don't care. They are just here to make money and move on.

'When the planners came to take a look they were horrified that they had approved it. They didn't know what they had passed.'

The Milward's only hope now is that Persimmon will agree to build trees on the edge of their boundary to counteract the noise from the gardens.

Adrian told a recent meeting of the planning committee: 'How can you build a storey higher on someone else's level boundary and that be acceptable?

'It's got to be reviewed. We're running a two-tier system here at the moment. Large developers are getting carte blanche and building what they want while local residents are working within the planning constraints.'

The Pottery Gardens development of 125 homes was approved in 2020 and the Milward's are far from the only existing residents affected with each stage triggering another cock-up.

The new-builds which back onto Ness Grove have left those home owners looking out on a double fence with ugly concrete spilling into their gardens and giant gravel-boards holding back the earth.

Valerie Betteley, 74, said: 'The original plan was for the new houses to have tiered gardens but the new residents wanted them flat so they added hundreds of tonnes of soil to make them level.

'That is now pushing through and cracking the gravel boards they put up. It's not safe.

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'Then they realised the fencing was so low and the houses so high that we could see straight into their patio so they put a second higher fence in.

Both Persimmon and Staffordshire Moorlands district council accept that the concrete needs clearing and a new fence installing to mitigate the problems.

But they have reached an impasse because the Council want all the affected houses to agree.

'It has been very, very stressful,' added Valerie's husband Derick, 76. 'We used to have a hawthorn hedge at the end of the garden and look out on miles of fields. Now we are hemmed in.

'It has been going on for three years now and still there is no end in sight.

'They didn't show the height of the new houses on the original plans and they have just got away with it.'

Their neighbours, Craig and Janet Shepherd, both 72, face the same problems, 40 years after moving into their neat detached houses.

'We don't know how long it will take,' said Craig, a retired customer service manager. 'They want the agreement of all the properties but some are rented and it is taking a long time.

'Persimmon have agreed to correct it but the Council need to approve it. It's a farce.'

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Janet added: 'We knew there'd be homes but not this close and not this high.'

Around the corner on Donkey Lane, another resident furious at their dealings with Persimmon.

Julia Thornton's rural retreat now has a spine road for the new estate running behind the leylandii at the foot of her garden.

And to make matters worse, Persimmon have said they will have to cut back her hedge because they put the road in the wrong place and need to fit in a pavement.

'It is absolutely horrible what has happened,' she said. 'We have had nearly four years of noise and disruption and now they tell us they'll need to trim our trees back to the bark to fit in their pavement.

'They just didn't put the road in the right place but if you're a developer there is no accountability.

'They have breached every single planning condition. We have noise from 6.30am and the road is now a race track at night.

'We went to the Ombudsman but they said it was up to the Council…and they don't know what they are doing.'

Julia knows things are likely to get worse as there is outline planning permission for a further 133 houses and a school sprawling out into what was countryside.

'They are a law unto themselves. I objected when I saw them tearing down hedges and I was told to shut up.'

Another resident, Steve, on Ayr Road said since the development went up the road outside his property had been left in a terrible state with raised ironworks.

'Persimmon and the Council can't decide who is responsible for it,' he said. 'The whole development has been one problem after another. It was approved during Covid and I think all the inspectors were off.'

A spokesperson for the Council said: 'The houses themselves have been built in accordance with the approved plans which were subject to a planning application and full public consultation in 2018. 

'There is an on-going issue regarding some retaining structures and boundary treatments which the Council and Persimmon Homes are committed to working with residents to address.'

A Persimmon North West Spokesperson said: 'We welcome that the application was recommended for approval by the local authority and fully respect Committee members wanting to provide more time for engagement with those remaining homeowners where further discussion is desired.

'Although the improvements have been agreed to by some residents, we will continue to work to find solutions that satisfy remaining parties as per the request of the committee.

'As the Council and committee report made very clear, despite misleading reports in the media, the new homes have been built at the approved floor levels and in the correct location as specified in the details submitted as part of the original planning application in 2020.'