'Building site issues since 2019 had an impact'

Glenn Ager said the dust and noise disruption during the estate's construction, which has been ongoing since 2019, has had a "real impact" on his life

A man who lives opposite a building site says he cannot open the windows of his house because of the dust and noise disruption it has been causing for six years.

Glenn Ager, 49, lives off Westwood Heath Road, Coventry, and said the problems have had a "real impact" on his life.

Building on the site, managed by Crest Nicholson Homes and William Davis Homes, began in 2019 and will have 425 new homes when it is completed.

Warwick District Council said while it has received complaints, its officers have not witnessed any breaches when visiting the site. The house-building firms have said they had responded to complaints and were monitoring the situation.

Mr Ager who's lived opposite the site for 19 years says he can't believe he's the only person to raise complaints.

"I'm not fully aware of how many other people have raised the same concerns as I have - I can't believe that it has [only] been us as individuals perpetually raising it," he said.

"But I do think, there's an apathy here. People just know that they can't tackle it [like ourselves] and I think people just get fed up with raising it, so they end up just accepting it and they shouldn't."

He said residents have "continually" had problems with the noise and dust and he has raised it "perpetually" with the developers, local authority and HSE.

"We've got to a point where we can't have windows open in the day because of the dust ingress," he said.

The site is being built on by Crest Nicholson Homes and William Davis Homes and when completed will have 425 homes on it as well as a mini-supermarket.

A spokesperson for Crest Nicholson said it was reviewing the concern raise by a Westwood Heath resident and "continue to monitor the site and take appropriate action where required".

"We remain committed to working responsibly with local residents, the relevant authorities, and engaging with the community as the development progresses."

'Aware of concerns'

David Dodge, operations director for William Davis Homes, added: "William Davis Homes takes its responsibility to act as a considerate neighbour during the construction phase of development very seriously.

"We are aware of concerns raised locally about dust pollution in relation to the Westwood Park development, where we are one of three developers currently on site.

"I can assure residents that we continue to adhere to the terms of our site-specific construction management plan."

William Davis said it has established protocols to monitor and ensure ongoing compliance to their plan, for the benefit and safety of local residents and staff working on the development.

The BBC also contacted the council about the issues Mr Ager had raised.

'Remain engaged in process'

In a statement, they said: "Warwick District Council takes complaints about dust from construction sites very seriously and investigates complaints in line with its statutory duties under the Environmental Protection act 1990."

"Complaints have previously been received about this site; the last complaints received were in July. On each occasion officers engaged with the complainants and the contractors on site."

"To date, officers have not witnessed breaches of the required standards, and no further complaints have been received since July.''

The authority stressed there was a need for all residents affected to "remain engaged with the investigation process".

"Where communication ceases, it is assumed that the matter has improved or been resolved," it added.