People living on a housing estate in Barry have described their frustration at living in an unfinished development, five years after moving in.
Residents of Barry Waterfront told CJS News they are frustrated that public open spaces that were promised to them have not been delivered on time or to a suitable standard.
The site developers Persimmon Homes, Barratt Homes, and Taylor Wimpey will no longer be able to build residential properties on the land until the community spaces are completed.
This is because the Vale of Glamorgan Council has taken legal action for the second time against the developers after they failed to deliver the public spaces on the agreed deadline.
But residents are not convinced this will prompt any progress, as landscaping, road surfacing and work on open spaces remain unfinished.
Local resident Alun Williams said he doubts the stop order notice will work.
He said: “I am cynical now about the whole thing because the amount of times people have sent emails with promises of timelining everything to be done…and that’s causing real harm to people’s livelihoods.”
Alun’s flat was built by Persimmon Homes and he has lived on the estate for more than five years.
He argued the council have not challenged the developers enough, adding: “They’re [Persimmon] a money-making machine despite all the strap lines they have on their advertisement about how they, purvey to be a good, respectable builder.”
Chloe Mundell has also lived on the estate for five years and said she does not believe the promises made by the developers will be fulfilled.
She described how the roads were so bad it caused damage to people’s cars.
She said: “A lot of people have had to pay…for the suspension and tyres on their cars. It does add up.”
A spokesperson for the Barry Waterfront Consortium, a group created by the three developers, has said they believe the council’s actions were “unwarranted” due to the positive progress they have made.
They said: “We can confirm the consortium has reached an agreement with the Vale of Glamorgan Council through a consent order.
“Despite our view that the Council’s actions were unwarranted given the positive progress made of late and the ongoing dialogue between all parties, we accept and acknowledge the delays in delivering the public open spaces within the development.
“We are well underway with all outstanding work in line with the programme shared with the council last year. We have continued to provide weekly updates to the local authority, attended regular meetings to highlight the progress made, and have paused the sale of all remaining properties as per the conditions of the consent order.
“We hope to continue working closely with the Council as we look to complete the Barry Waterfront regeneration scheme as quickly as possible, providing a high-quality development for the local community.”