It's been three years since dozens of families forked out up to £600,000 for their dream homes on a newbuild housing estate - but the area still looks like a 'glorified building site' with unfinished roads.
The posh development on the outskirts of Worcester is a 'complete eyesore' to locals, who have stopped their children playing outside on the 'unsafe' streets with drains, potholes and traffic cones.
Furious residents have slammed developers and the council for leaving the area looking 'like a bomb has hit it', as they fear trying to relocate and sell due to the state of the roads.
One homeowner, Colin Jones, 68, moved into his £400,000 home on Oakmont Drive in September 2020, but said his retirement property soon turned into a living 'nightmare'.
"This was supposed to be our retirement home, but instead my wife and I are living on a glorified building site. This whole shambles has made a lovely area look like a bomb has hit it," the former mechanic said. "The road layout is not suitable, it is narrowed down to restrict speed but it is likely to cause accidents.
"There is a corner which is too narrow and too tight so a driver cannot see traffic coming towards them in the opposite direction. So many people walk up this street with pushchairs or on bikes, but the raised drains of up to four inches high make it such a tight squeeze for people to get around."
Colin said he was concerned about the danger the roads pose to families and children, especially with a local school located at the back of the estate. He also claimed Elan Homes' work along the streets, where property prices average £500,000, has been constantly delayed by Worcestershire County Council.
"I've tried to contact the council so many times, but they blame the builders who then blame the council and I feel like I'm going around in circles," Colin said. "They don't seem to care and there's always an excuse. Every time Elan builders plan to tarmac the road, work is halted by the Worcestershire County Council Highways department."
"All this delay just really wears you down to the point where I'm questioning what the council have against this estate," he continued. Colin fears trying to sell his house and move, due to the sorry state of the roads. "How can you sell a place when the road isn't even laid down?" he said.
"Worcester Highways just keep finding more and more faults. Three or four times we've been told the road is going to be laid, but every time, on the day before or sometimes even the same day, they [Worcester Highways] have turned up and stopped it," he said. "It'll be excuses like the kerbing isn't straight even though they're the ones who marked it.
"In the end, that had to all be taken up and redone which was more money wasted. The list goes on and on and they keep finding as many faults as they can until they've basically run out of excuses, then they'll go quiet and you can't find out what's going on. I just want this all finished."
Another resident, who chose to remain anonymous, added: "It's been a nightmare from day one, it's just been delay after delay and the roads are still not finished. The work was supposed to be done by last year and still we are left with this eyesore. It's not safe for children and is also damaging people's cars. You shouldn't fork out half a million pounds for a house and be left with streets from the Stone Age."
A spokesperson for Elan Homes said: "The road layout at our Stableford development was designed in consultation with and approved by the local authority. This includes traffic calming measures designed to slow vehicles travelling through the development.
"We have agreements in place with Worcestershire County Council and Severn Trent Water for the roads and sewers to be adopted. Before they can be handed over, there is some remedial and maintenance work to be carried out. A groundworks contractor has been appointed and these works are progressing. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by these works."
A Severn Trent spokesperson said as it is a new development, the work is not for them and is instead for the council and the developer. A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council said: "We can confirm that the site is not yet adopted. We can also confirm that the developer is undertaking significant remedial work onsite at the request of the county council, to ensure the finished development meets the required Highway standards."
