Traffic hell for Whitchurch residents as work on homes drags on

People living in The Firs are angry about the traffic issues caused by the number of vehicles trying to access the site five days a week.

They claim they are regularly being asked to move their own vehicles and are forced to walk on the road because of cars and vans being parked on the footpaths.

Work has been taking place to create 14 homes on the site alongside Staggs Brook and the Sandstone Trail for the past 18 months.

Resident Carol Hewitt was among those who were against the plans when they were approved about 10 years ago.

"I think it is patently obvious that it was a mistake to grant planning permission for this development," she said.

"Lorries are reversing up and down the estate without the aid of a banksman. Bearing in mind they are crossing a well used public footpath, this can only be a recipe for disaster.

"Site safety barriers are a joke. Anyone walking along the footpath who tripped into the fencing would end up in a ruck with the fencing."

She added that complaints have been made to Shropshire Council about the work.

Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said he was unaware the plans had been approved when he moved into the area three years ago.

"The land was originally part of a green corridor and is well known locally as a boggy area as rainwater drains down the adjacent sloping land onto this land," he said.

"I believe that planning permission was granted some 10 years ago despite protests from the local people about loss of natural habitat, the unsuitable ground conditions, and the disruption development would cause to local residents.

"I have lived on The Firs for three years so I was not involved in the protests and was unaware that planning permission had been granted some years beforehand.

"Work started around November 2014 and is still nowhere near completed, presumably because the ground conditions are so bad.

"As The Firs is a cul-de-sac, every contractor parks here and all building materials and plant and machinery are delivered along it.

He said: "The disruption has to be seen to be believed – the residents are not living near a building site but actually in it.

"The noise from engines and reversing warnings is awful, and the road is constantly covered in mud from the lorries which turns to dust.

"As the contractors cars park on the pavement to make room for lorries we often have to walk on the road. This is particularly dangerous for the children and elderly people who live in the street and anyone walking along the Sandstone Trail."

Sherwood Homes, which is believed to be responsible for the work, was unavailable to comment.