WINKLEIGH residents have welcomed the removal of spoil heaps by a construction company which have been blighting their lives.

Penny Griffiths, who lives in Winkleigh, spoke out recently in the Okehampton Times about the ‘dangerously high’ piles of construction rubbish at the site off High Moor View which had built up over the summer.

Complaints from residents had previously not been acted on. However, after the article’s appearance on August 11, in which Allison Homes admitted it had built the piles too high, they were promptly removed.

‘The article appeared on Thursday and it was removed on Saturday morning,’ said Penny. ‘My friend who lives opposite saw them from her bedroom window. The big machine was there and they were getting rid of them so that was a bit of a result.

‘Then two members of Allison Homes came to see her and sat down with her to talk about it.

‘The fact that Allison Homes admitted that the piles had been too high was really gratifying because we had looked at what they are meant to be doing in something called a construction management plan and it clearly states that any stockpiles must be stored out of the wind, kept to a reasonable height and located away from adjacent properties and highways.’

She said the piles of soil had been making live difficult for people living opposite, and the local school. The problems had been exacerbated by the long hot dry spell, which has seen ‘a red gritty dust’ released, blowing over homes and washing lines.

‘The mountain was going up for five or six weeks and my friend was watching it out of her bedroom window,’ she said. ‘It was hot dusty dry weather and it meant it was blowing all over her garden and all over her walls and she couldn’t put her washing out. It was like the dustbowl of Oklahoma, really not good.’

She said the properties opposite the estate, across a narrow lane, had borne the brunt of construction dust and noise since construction on the estate started in January.

Construction director for Allison Homes South West Shaune Hicks said: ‘We are always happy to take on board comments and feedback from local residents regarding construction of our High Moor View development. We listened to recent concerns around the stock piling of earth and acted quickly to take measures to remove the piles the next day.

‘Our construction teams are always mindful to keep disruption on site to a minimum and vigilant measures continue to be taken to ensure all regulations are met.

“We are dedicated to creating a thriving community for both new and existing residents. We are planning to create a children’s hideaway space within the show home garden and are working with the local primary school to plant an orchard. We have also recently purchased a defibrillator which will be positioned in an easily accessed location for both the local community and site operatives. It will be gifted to the community on completion of the development.

“We will continue to engage with residents and the wider community, through door drops to ensure transparency and feedback. We will also be installing a community noticeboard near the entrance to site for further information for those that are interested in finding out more.”