Key Points Raised at the Enforcement Meeting on Mon 2nd Oct 2023

By Nige on October 7, 2023 at 5:22 pm
Type: News Category: Maintenance
Tags: Announcements | Bloor Homes | East Midlands Landscaping | Vale of White Horse District Council

As previously discussed, an enforcement meeting was held on site on Mon 2nd Oct 2023. The critical messages that were leaked at this meeting can be found here: Shock News Leaked at Planning Enforcement Meeting.

This news item focuses on the more mundane aspects of the meeting. The focus of this meeting was strictly the balancing ponds, but we managed to slip one or two additional items on to the agenda as we walked around the development.

Below are the notes issued by the VWHDC Enforcement Officer:

Following our site meeting earlier in the week, I am sending a brief email to clarify what remedial works should follow in the short term to resolve the outstanding breaches. It may be that further clarification is required, however I did not want to keep any of the parties involved waiting.

• I am satisfied the wildflower seeding that has taken place is sufficient to resolve this part of the investigation.
• With respect to the landscaping – if Bloor can ensure any dead trees on the site are replaced accordingly, I will make a note on the file that this has been actioned after a site visit.
• The balancing ponds in their current state are mostly in a satisfactory condition, however, please ensure all areas directly around the basins are kept clear and vegetation covering the structures is cut back. Furthermore, please ensure the overgrown vegetation in the South-West area of the North-East balancing pond are reduced in height to be in keeping with the surrounding vegetation and landscape. As discussed, there is no need for this vegetation to be dug out from the ground.
• Regarding the footpaths, I am satisfied that they have been established in accordance with the original condition of the planning permission and the conditions that arise during wet conditions is not a matter for Planning Enforcement. I understand my predecessor had already looked in to this matter.
• Finally, I am aware of other agreements on site between the RA and Bloor Homes regarding particular properties that have issues with overgrowth. I would appreciate if these matters can also be resolved swiftly.

VWHDC Enforcement Officer

Below are my additional notes in response:

Thanks for sending your notes to us.  Couple of things I need to highlight from a Residents’ Association (RA) perspective:

• In respect to the wildflower seeding, until the wildflower actually grows there is no evidence that any seeding has actually taken place, nor the quality of any seeding.  I respectfully suggest we need to see evidence of this before it is signed off.  Bloor Homes knew there was a requirement for them to seed the wildflower years ago. If they had completed this in previous years, we would already see the evidence.  So, any delay this causes is down to Bloor Homes deliberately delaying completing works on site.
• In addition to the point above, we confirmed that Bloor Homes/East Midland Landscaping had incorrectly seeded over land (near to the old show home) that is not owned by Bloor Homes.  I think the conclusion was that this will be left to “grow over”.
• In respect to the balancing ponds and the need to cut back the overgrown vegetation in the South-West area of the North-East balancing pond, we need to see the confirmed Statement of Works between Bloor Homes and East Midland Landscaping before being confident it will address the underlying issue.
• I believe we agreed that Bloor Homes/East Midland Landscaping need to cut back the additional growth in the stream running under the wooden bridge on the east side of the site.
• In respect to the footpaths, the RA fundamentally disagrees with your assessment that the path is fit for purpose.  I would appreciate you providing to me a specification of a gravel path that you have confirmed meets the acceptance criteria and provide evidence that you have actually checked the composition of the material used in the paths on The Dovecote. I also need you to confirm that there is adequate drainage built into the footpath.  If after all of this, VWHDC still believes the path is fit for purpose, the RA (and subsequently the Management Company when the residents take control) will hold VWHDC financially liable for any remedial works required after handover.

In addition, there were a number of other items that we discussed, some specifically between the Bloor rep and I.  I appreciate you may not be directly interested in these, but I wanted to take the opportunity of getting these “on the record”:

• The Bloor rep will be organising for Wilby Tree to visit the site later in Oct, to assess the mature trees (in addition to others) located around the development.  The RA believes that 3 are dead and need to be removed. The Bloor rep will circulate the results from the Wilby Tree assessment.
• Wilby Tree will remove the lower hanging branches on the tree at the front of the site, which are a safety hazard to pedestrians using the path.
• The Bloor rep agreed to assess the lifebuoys located next to each of the balancing ponds.  The RA believes these are in a poor state of maintenance.
• The Bloor rep agreed to fit lifebuoy signage to the low wooden rails around each balancing pond, as agreed at the site visit on 01/03/2022.
• The Bloor rep advised that VWHDC had issued to Bloor Homes a Certificate of Substantial Completion for the development at some point “early summer”.  This was without any involvement of the RA.
• The Bloor rep agreed that Bloor Homes/East Midland Landscaping will cut back the overgrown vegetation that is affecting a neighbours fence (at 19 Furlongs).

Although you are not specifically interested in other handover-related issues, I have attached a document which is based on the notes/actions agreed at site visits in Oct 2021 and March 2022, together with recent updates in blue, which summarise the remaining issues that need to be resolved before the RA will be happy to support any sort of handover.  Again, I am taking the opportunity to get this “on the record”.

TDRA