Irthlingborough residents raise concerns about ‘disaster’ new build development as ‘shocking’ green area causes disruption, disappointment and safety issues

Serious concerns have been raised by residents of Irthlingborough’s Diamond Heights housing development as problems relating to their new build homes and the surrounding area continue to persist.

Residents have expressed their disappointment in the estate, with issues relating to the longevity of the green spaces and the poor drainage that has cause the area to flood, freeze over and deteriorate when met with poor weather conditions.

They also say that the lack of quality control has caused pets to come home injured, and local children to avoid the park entirely.

Residents’ patience has worn thin, and many have expressed their disappointment and frustration at the developer, Davidson Homes.

Despite numerous attempts to contact them, the developer has not responded to our request for comment.

Resident Abbie Lawrence of Emerald Way said: “The park was a huge selling point for us, and we’ve just been so disappointed.

“It just feels like every time they fix a tiny bit, it’s such a sticking plaster that doesn’t work, and then it creates another problem.

"Is it going to take the water, is it going to take the heat, is it going to take the snow, is it going to take the elements full stop? From what we’ve seen so far, no.”

When asked if the experience had put them off buying a new build in the future, Abbie said: “I’d never do it again, I’d rather buy an older house and do it up the way I wanted.”

People in the area have criticised Davidsons Homes for their response to the issues when contacted by residents.

Abbie added: “It shouldn’t be that difficult to deliver on it and include the residents in that delivery, and if you’ve got something that’s causing a delay, fine, tell us that.”

Annette Boulton who lives on the estate said: “This is my third new build. The actual house is the best one, but it’s the aftercare that’s been shocking.”

Diamond Heights consists of 88 properties with a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom houses. When available, house prices started from £234,995.

In summer 2021, when the work was nearing completion, Simon Tyler, sales director for Davidsons Homes South Midlands, said: “Our Georgian and Victorian-inspired homes have proven popular with a host of buyers, from first-time purchasers to growing families.

“The popularity of Diamond Heights is in part down to its sought-after location along the River Nene and proximity to Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows, but also due to Davidsons Homes’ carefully considered home layouts which are crafted to suit modern living.”

But Abbie went on to say: “If you bought a house that was built in Victorian times, you’d expect poor drainage because it’s an old house that wasn’t built for modern-day living.

“We haven’t bought old houses, we’ve bought new houses, and therefore we expect a certain level of quality and a certain level of resilience to modern day weather.”

The green space that sits next to the estate is far from picturesque, with mounds of mud, exposed manhole covers, and patches of uneven ground only being made worse by poor weather conditions.

When our reporter visited residents to speak about the issues the heavy rainfall showed the extent of the problem, which residents hope will be remedied before summer.

Dorothy Maxwell, a North Northants councillor for the Irthlingborough ward, visited the estate on February 29 and largely dismissed the residents’ concerns, insisting that ‘everything seems fine’ and ‘if I had a house there I’d be fine’.

She added: "We’ve had an extremely wet winter.

“I think the developers have done a good job, actually, a very good job. The site is completely fine.”

On the exposed manhole covers, Cllr Maxwell insisted there is ‘nothing wrong with them’.

However, Cllr Maxwell also noted that the developer ‘needs to put matting down in the play area’ and that ‘the pavement could, at some point, be tarmacked’.

We contacted Tom Pursglove, MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire, to comment on the situation being faced by his constituents on this new estate, who was ‘keen to be of help’ to residents. He urged them to contact him with their concerns so he can take them to the developer for their 'full investigation and response’.

Resident Annette noted that the area could meet the expectations of residents when completed, but believed this was not currently the case.

She said: “This would be the perfect location with the park when it’s done. It’d be brilliant in the summer with the kids and dogs, but they need to get past the finish line on it.

"That’s why you pay a premium for a new estate because you have those facilities. If those facilities aren't up to scratch then they aren’t providing their side of the bargain.

"We’re three years in, nearly; we should be living happily with this all sorted out.

"We want it finished by summer, kids on the estate are growing up and aren’t able to play in the park because they’re all too old.”

A passage on newhomesforsale.co.uk from the developer reads: “We firmly believe that the space around a home is just as important as the rooms we create within it, which is why our team of planners and architects consider themselves to be ‘placemakers’ – designing and creating communities like Diamond Heights to be admired for generations to come.”

However, in reality fears have mounted among residents for another cold season without significant redevelopment, as many people want to take full advantage of the area that was promised, and don't think it could survive another winter without declining further.

Resident Rachel Wilson said: "If we have really heavy snow, I don’t think any of this is going to cope.

“Our driveway has been re-laid twice because it keeps sinking, it’s the outsides for me that are the problem.”

Rachel admits that they haven’t had any problems with their house, rather their frustrations are aimed towards the park, the gardens and the developers’ ‘silent’ response.

She added: “I would like Davidsons to sit down with residents. I would like to be able to invite them in to say ‘we’re going to list all the problems and all the issues and we want you to come back to us with a rectification plan’.

"We want you to acknowledge that this is not up to where it should be, that we’ve all had issues of varying degrees, and we want that recognised.

“There continues to be problems. The plans you put in place to date don’t work, and we want to hear what your plan is to strategically assess the situation and work with us and finish it.”

Abbie added: "We’re just getting to the point now where you don’t get anything back so we might as well just do it ourselves.”

Marilyn Walet-Coles, who lives on the estate, said: “I think for me and my partner, one of the big selling points for us was the park when we bought our house two years ago.

"My child is SEND so having a nice park on the doorstep would have been a life-saver for us.

"We feel like we've been sold something that just hasn't happened.

“This issue isn't just with the park, however. It's all of the gardens too. They've all been done to such a low standard that my garden is flooded all of the time, to the point I'm planning to rip out all the grass and just have flower beds.

"The clay soil that they haven't addressed is so sticky and thick you could easily make pots out of it. Once again, another space that my son is refusing to use, because it's a disaster.”

Roland Walet, Marilyn’s partner, added: “They promised us more and better play equipment to begin with, and then changed their plans once we had already moved in. This play area was a big part of our decision to buy here.

“The park wasn't completed to any sort of usable state until well after all the plots had been occupied, this meant that we didn't really have a nearby outdoor play area at all for around two years after moving in to our plot, as it was just weeds and rubble.”

A final resident who did not want to be named, who has worked for multiple housing developers, said: “I’m 81-years-old now and this is the worst experience I’ve ever had.”