Work is now underway on 129 energy efficient homes on an old school field in Bestwood but existing nearby residents labelled the dust being created from the site as a "problem". The new Nottingham City Homes (NCH) development will consist of flats, houses and wheelchair-accessible bungalows, and whilst residents say "it's going to be worth it in the long run" they are struggling with the dust.
In recent weeks the weather has been much hotter, and Bestwood families have been unable to open their windows due to the amount of dust in the air. This dust has been settling on the roads, their gardens and on their cars.
Retail worker Cheryl Gray, 50, said: "We've just come in and my husband said 'look at all the dust'. Normally in summer we have all our windows open but I have just opened the patio out the back instead and not had the front ones open. It's all on the cars as well."
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Cheryl added that she also has concerns with the traffic of the new estate. She said: "They have resurfaced the road but you have buses coming up here every ten minutes."
Plans for the new estate were originally put forward several years ago and come at a time when the council housing waiting list has grown significantly. The homes are being built on land, off Beckhampton Road and Eastglade Road, that once served the now-demolished Padstow School.
Other residents including pipe fitter Wayne Butterworth, 58, of Bestwood, spoke of having a lot of issues with dust from the site. He said: "You can't have your windows open since they started a couple of weeks ago."
On her way walking home from work, carer Sylvia Lindo, 60, of Bestwood, was also having issues with the dust. She said: "I can see what they are talking about, the dust is here right now I'm feeling it But it's going to be worth it in the long run, it's just I can see the dust."
A man, who asked not to be named, said that has recently had to move one of his cars due to the dust, and added another car he had washed two days ago is already covered again in dust. He also has concerns about a three storey block of flats being built opposite his property.
He said: "I haven't got a problem with them building but why a three storey block of flats, why not a two storey or do another one."
A 35-year-old officer manager, who lives in Bestwood and asked not to be named, said: "In the beginning I was a bit worried as I like the fields so I was a bit hesitant at first, but obviously people need somewhere to live. Our cars are all dirty but that's to be expected.
The woman added: "It's not really going to affect me as much as I still have the green but it all depends on who's going to live in it." Another resident said: "The only problem is dust, you can't have any windows open in this weather."
Others, however, were supportive of the development. When asked his thoughts on the development, contract manager Callum Kitching, 30, of Bestwood, said: "We are both at work all the time so don't really notice, I don't know if they are working weekends yet. Hopefully it might put the price of my house up."
However, father-of-six Steven Warner, who is 38 and from Bestwood, said the new estate will be "good". He said: "A lot more bigger houses would be nice to give families like us a chance."
A Nottingham City Homes spokesperson said: “We are aware of concerns from a couple of residents and we are speaking to them directly. We wrote to everyone who lives nearby before works began, and advised them who to contact with any concerns.
“The prolonged dry spell hasn’t helped, and this is an active construction site. We obviously can’t control wind direction, but we are working with our constructor partners to mitigate its effects where possible – for example, last week we moved works to another part of the site, away from Beckhampton Road, to minimise any adverse impact on neighbours.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and take a flexible approach.”
Further development is planned for different parts of the old school site. City Councillors recently granted planning permission for another 291 houses, while a further application was put forward for another 71 homes on the site of the Ridgeway playing field, also part of the former Padstow school site.
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