People living on a new housing estate have voiced their anger over the alleged poor upkeep and now fear that they may have to foot the bill to have it brought back up to scratch. Residents living in the new build properties have raised concerns over weeds growing in play parks and newly planted trees which have been left to die.
Some have also reportedly taken to cutting the grass in one of the estate's parks themselves. Taylor Wimpey said it has instructed its landscaping contractors to undertake a thorough review of the site.
Vale of Glamorgan Council ward member for Rhoose, Cllr Samantha Campbell, said the issue has led her to get in touch with the local authority about the possibility of enforcement action over a potential planning breach. A council spokesperson confirmed the matter has been reported to them and that it is being investigated, WalesOnline reports.
Resident Darren Williams, said: "The estate should by now be in a good condition, the open green spaces should be well presented, with grass, not weed. Biodiversity areas are fine and welcome, but paths should be good."
The Golwg y Mor estate was completed in 2022 and is expected to be handed over to designated management company, Remus. However, this has not happened yet and with the prospect of an annual maintenance charge looming, residents are now worried that they will have to pay out of their own pockets to fix some of the issues that have built up.
On the maintenance charge, Mr Williams said: "That's fine, it was made clear when we bought, but we should not have to pay for replanting trees and green open spaces and repairing playgrounds and paths straight away. Many residents, including myself, have written to Taylor Wimpey on numerous occasions to highlight the disrepair of the three parks.
"Only recently the play equipment in the main park has been repaired, and for several months the roundabout and large swing was fenced off, making it an eyesore. Residents have taken to cutting the 'grass' in the park themselves, but they shouldn't feel the need to. It seems that now that Taylor Wimpey have sold all their homes, they are totally neglecting the site. The other two parks are in a terrible state."
Taylor Wimpey is currently responsible for the landscape maintenance on the development. The handover process involving Remus is currently in progress.
Cllr Campbell said: "Trees and green spaces are important to wildlife and to humans. When trees are planted, they aren't just planted for us, but for future generations and it’s selfish to not maintain them. It shouldn't fall on the residents of this estate to maintain them or pay a management company to replant them because they've died. That's not fair."
On her justification for passing the matter on to Vale of Glamorgan Council, Cllr Campbell said: "The original planning application, presented to Vale of Glamorgan Council in 2015, stipulates landscaping and maintenance of the site, however it appears this hasn’t been adhered to by the developer, Taylor Wimpey."
A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said: "We are aware of the concerns that local residents have regarding the landscaping at our Golwg y Mor development and have instructed our landscaping contractors to attend the development in order to undertake a thorough review of the landscaping, trees and other open spaces on site. We will address any outstanding issues as a matter of priority."
Vale of Glamorgan Council said a case officer has contacted the developer and is due to meet with them shortly to identify any breaches and the work required to address them.
