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06
Feb
Developer gives assurances after ‘moon crater’ appears in Kingsley
Persimmon has given assurances about a large hole that has been dug at its 162-home development in the Kingsley area of Harrogate.
The housing developer began work at its Long Lands View site on Kingsley Drive in autumn last year. Homes are already being marketed for between £322,000 and £522,000.
But the recent excavation of a trench prompted concern from the Kingsley Ward Action Group.
It sent an email to Persimmon and local councillor Chris Aldred saying the size and location of the hole in the ground had caused “anger, astonishment and disbelief”.
The email, seen by the Stray Ferret, said:
There is a huge area that has been excavated just feet from the road itself and less than five metres from the homes of very worried residents, there is even a sign warning of deep water.
This road is currently used non-stop by vehicles of up to 70 tonnes in weight and the possibility of a collapse is causing extreme anxiety amongst the residents on Kingsley Drive.
To have a chasm that close to a busy road is asking for serious trouble.
The Long Lands View development on Kingsley Drive.
Additional signs
Cllr Aldred, a Liberal Democrat who represents High Harrogate and Kingsley on North Yorkshire Council, raised the matter with Persimmon.
Its reply, which we have seen, said the trench will accommodate a surface water attenuation tank to collect excess rainwater and had received the necessary approvals and consents.
It added:
The excavation and tank will be backfilled to natural ground level and will be landscaped. When finished, and to the general observer, it will not be apparent that the tank is even there.
The response added a site visit on January 27 concluded “good health and safety practice has been observed by our contractor," adding: “While there is already appropriate signage in place warning of the dangers of [trespassing on] construction sites, we have ordered some additional signs to reinforce the message.
The trench will accommodate a surface water attenuation tank.
Cllr Aldred told the Stray Ferret:
Like many residents and users of Kingsley Drive, I have recently been observing the huge hole that has been dug by the Persimmon contractors, for one of the two surface water attenuation tanks on the site, which is clearly visible from the roadside.
Following concerns expressed by some local residents I have received assurances from Persimmon themselves and from council officers, that whilst the hole may currently resemble a moon crater, it is being dug according to specifications agreed between Persimmon and the council, along standard technical lines.
Once the tank is in place, the area around it will be refilled and none of the new homes will be built over it – similar to the hidden attenuation tanks already existing on the adjacent Redrow sites, which you wouldn’t really know were there. I have to admit that the hole does look pretty spectacular at the moment though.
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