Developer apologises over unfinished work dating back years on Milton Keynes estate

Developer Taylor Wimpey has apologised after the MK Citizen stepped in to help residents fed up with a string of "broken promises" and unfinished work on their estate.

Newton Leys has been built over the past eight or nine years but major amenities such as the children's play park, a bridge, football pitches and a lakeside mound have never been completed, say householders there.

Even the main road into the estate from Drayton has been left in a state of disrepair for eight years, with no permanent surface ever laid. The surface is so bad that many local drivers have had to pay for new shock absorbers on their cars.

"I have been here for seven years now and have seen hundreds of houses built and sold. I understand that Taylor Wimpy is a business, but when I look at other new estates in Milton Keynes I can see they are have been looked after much, much better than ours," said one resident.

"I have seen so many broken promises and failures to complete projects, but at the same time can see so many houses being built. We just want Taylor Wimpey to come through on its promises and commit to complete what they have started. There are so many neglected and unsafe areas that are used by children," he added.

The estate has not been officially handed over to MK Council to maintain as building work is still ongoing in places.

"We pay a lot of money to the local council in council tax but seem to get very little benefit as Taylor Wimpey has not handed over the estate yet. I imagine the local council would not accept it in the state that it is in," said the resident.

He posted on the estate's community Facebook page to ask for people's views on the state of the estate. His question generated more than 100 comments.

Most people loved the area and the community, but were fed up with the amount of facilities that had never been completed.

A major bone of contention was the children's play park in Lansbury Road. This has been unfinished for the past two years and left with temporary fencing.

Callow Mound at Jubilee Lake has been fenced off and left unattended for more than three years.

"We were advised it was originally closed off due to subsidence and then were told that it was closed due to an artwork installation. The artwork has been unveiled but the land still has not been looked after - there is long grass, weeds, a temporary surface on the steps and it's still fenced off," said the resident.

Other householders complain that grassed areas are left uncut, messy and full of weeds.

Multiple drains throughout the estate have not been cleared of debris long after building work has been completed, and this has caused local flooding.

In Antigua Way there is the famous 'Bridge to Nowhere'. Leading from the lake, this has been closed for eight years, despite promises of completion, say residents.

Meanwhile in Galapagos Grove at the Pavillion, there are football pitches that have been left for more than three years. Residents say nobody understands why they cannot be used.

People also complain about kerbs all over the estate.

"Due to the road surface not being completed in various locations, it means that the kerbs are unsafely high in multiple places, meaning it is dangerous for pushchairs, wheelchairs, bikes and scooters," said the resident.

Others complain about debris left on estate roads by developers.

"Taylor Wimpey do not clean the roads properly and so many people suffer from having nails and screws in their tyres. This is a constant issue that has affected a lot of people," said the resident.

Other complaints include a string of street lights not working, electrical wires left sticking out of the ground in Galapagos Grove and a large metal plate covering whole in the road in Cuba Crescent.

The Citizen forwarded the entire list of complaints and concerns to Taylor Wimpey.

A spokesperson told us: “We apologise to residents at Newton Leys for any inconvenience caused by our ongoing work at the development. We are committed to completing the development to a high standard and would like to assure residents that works to address many of the concerns raised are in progress."

She added: “We can also assure residents that we will be investigating those concerns that had not previously been reported to us and that we will take appropriate action to rectify them.”

Taylor Wimpey say works to the children’s park on Lansbury Road are in the process of being finalised before it can open to the public.

The developer is also working with the Town Council to complete arrangements for the handover of the football pitches. It is currently anticipated that the handover will take place in early 2022.

Works are being finalised to fully open the path at the Callow Mound/Jubilee Lake and to complete and open the bridge on Antigua Way. Plans to resurface the main road that enters the estate from Drayton Road are also being finalised.

Works to repair or remove the fences near to Jubilee Lake are "ongoing", as are works to repair the footpath on Honduras Gardens.

Taylor Wimpey says routine maintenance of grassed areas at the development is carried out every two weeks.