Furious residents say their lives have been ‘upended’ after work to build two new apartment blocks on land next to their homes got under way.
A pair of adjoining four-storey buildings - housing 73 ‘affordable’ one and two-bed flats - are to be built on the former King Street West car wash site, in Stockport town centre.
The scheme - brought forward by housing association Great Places - was signed off by the council last year, and falls within the Town Centre West regeneration zone.
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While councillors welcomed plans for more affordable housing in the heart of the town, to date it has not been such a happy story for people living next to the site.
Residents at neighbouring Hilton Court - also owned and managed by Great Places - say they were not ‘meaningfully consulted’ during the planning process and are now suffering ongoing disruption to their daily lives.
Their complaints include ‘stealth’ boundary changes, removing boundary walls and shrubbery - including wildlife habitat - and closing off a footpath for six weeks.
Great Places chiefs say they are ‘disappointed’ with the feedback from residents and are ‘doing everything we can to work towards rebuilding relationship’. The housing association insists that the scheme has been ‘considerately designed to fit with the surrounding area' and the building is a suitable size for the site.
