Cambridge newbuild homes to be demolished over issues

The developer said the "most effective" thing to do was to demolish and rebuild the properties

A developer has apologised after it decided to demolish 36 unoccupied newbuild homes for foundation failures.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes Cambridgeshire said a "small number" on the Darwin Green site in Cambridge "did not meet our usual high standards".

A spokesperson said: "Unfortunately the most effective course of action at this stage is to demolish the properties and rebuild them."

Local Liberal Democrat councillor Cheney Payne called for an inquiry.

The city council said it "was recently made aware of failures to the foundations" of the homes at the site, where a private company was appointed as the building control provider, not the local authority.

The statement said council officers had met with the developer's managing director "to understand the scale of the issue and to agree potential next steps".

Some of the properties on the site have "sold" signs on them

"Cambridge City Council's view is that planning permission will be required for works to demolish these structures and has advised the developer that an application for full planning permission should be submitted to the local planning authority," the city council said.

It said as the local enforcing body it would "now look to work with the local community and the site developer to ensure the next phase of works are compliant with building regulations".

The statement added there would be a public consultation that would "enable nearby residents and members of the public to raise any issues they may have relating to the development".

The developer, responding to the story that was first reported by the Cambridge Independent, said: "We have apologised to the customers affected and understand their frustrations, but we are doing all that we can to lessen the impact of this for them.

"The most important thing is that the homes we build for our customers are of the highest quality possible and this means identifying any mistakes and putting them right, which is what we are doing here."