Anger as firm applies to build homes near landslip
BBCResidents living on a new-build housing estate where a landslip blocked access to homes have hit out at an application by the developer to build six more houses nearby.
A landslip before Christmas blocked access to Reece Aleksander's and his neighbours' homes at Haden Cross in Cradley Heath, and in March, developer Dunedin Homes said it was working on a temporary measure.
Mr Aleksander said residents were angry at plans by the firm to build more homes when the landslip and other longer-running problems on the estate remained unresolved. He has been backed by Halesowen MP Alex Balinger.
The BBC has approached Dunedin Homes for comment.
"Because there's no movement on this landslip, people are just outraged that they've got the audacity to sort of even submit it [the application]. There's definitely a feeling of outrage," Mr Aleksander said.
He said the landslip currently looked stable, but if it didn't get sorted by winter, he was worried that could change.
"We had that biblical rain a couple of days ago, and a lot of the clay and silt was still running down into the road and into the drains. Through the winter, that makes things worse."
Street lights in the area have never worked and Mr Aleksander said he was concerned that if they were not fixed by the winter local residents would start to worry again.
Local MP Ballinger has submitted a formal objection to the planning application for Farmhouse Close "on the grounds of land instability and public safety".
He said the site had already experienced a partial landslide and there was "clear evidence of ongoing land movement".
He wrote: "Further development could exacerbate the instability, endangering new and existing properties."
The MP said residents' homes in Haden Cross Drive were still blocked by last year's landslide and Dunedin Homes had a "troubling history of unresolved issues".
Earlier this year, Dunedin Homes said much of the work on street lights had been completed and sewers that needed to be taken on by the water company would be adopted "in due course".
At the time, it added the landslip was not a "simple, quick or easy fix", but that it was working on a temporary measure.
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