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DISAPPEARING: land at the rear of Lockside View, Mossley has slipped into the canal below
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Garden collapses into canal waters
by Yakub Qureshi23/ 4/2008
A HOMEOWNER whose garden wall crashed on to a canal towpath is blaming builders of a nearby housing development for the collapse.
Other residents of the waterside homes in Mossley, say cracks have appeared in their walls since building work began on a 90-home building site nearby.
Environmental services worker Russell Cox, 38, who lives in Lockside View, watched in horror from his back window as his rear back garden wall dropped 15ft on to the footpath below.
The irate owner claims the wall was loosened by months of drilling on the building site opposite.
Russell said: "We are about 50ft away from the development and they have been using heavy machinery. It can’t be a coincidence when my neighbours are affected as well.The towpath is used by a lot of cyclists and walkers. It’s a miracle no-one was killed."
But developers Arley Homes insist they carried out all the necessary safety tests for the luxury development and say other factors must be to blame.
Although Mr Cox’s property, built in 1992, is on the other side of the Huddersfield Canal from the building development site, he claims the vibrations can still be felt from in his living room.
His neighbour Angela Anderson, a town councillor who has campaigned against the new homes development from the outset, said cracks have been appearing in her walls.
She said: "None of the houses on our row are old. I’m sure that they’re the effects of the pile driving for the new properties."
Tameside Council sent building inspectors to the site after the wall collapsed on Sunday morning to make the area safe. The development, named St George’s Park, contains luxury flats and five-bedroom detached houses selling for up to £385,000.
Warrington-based Arley Homes won permission to build the homes on the site of a former factory two years ago.
Managing director John Cosgrave said it was the first time he had heard of problems with the neighbouring properties.
He said: "It is not part of our development, nor does it stand on any part of the land we own. We are therefore unable to comment on the reasons for its apparent collapse. Nor do we have any record of any cracks appearing in adjacent properties as a result of the building work undertaken at Mossley.
"We have built our reputation on the basis of our responsible approach to building and development and will therefore be carrying out our own investigations on site."
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However ..... I do sympathize with your predicament but did the builders of your property strengthen or rebuild the Canal wall when your houses were built ?
Regards
Dennis
28/04/2008 at 01:41