The scale of an abandoned new-build ‘ghost’ estate has today been laid bare in a series of new images.
Some 33 homes were given planning permission in 2018 in Calstock, Cornwall.
But the homes were never completed, and Construction Partners, who were behind the project, said that their budget had been completely eroded due to delays and legal disputes with Cornwall Council.
They say it stacked up to £1.2million in extra interest payment charges while awaiting approval for the homes.
It led to the firm based in Exmouth, Devon, saying it could no longer afford to continue the work – despite many of the properties being finished.
Of those built, 15 homes were said to have been allocated for affordable housing – though parish councillors said they were still too costly for most locals.
Many of the other homes were believed to have been valued between £500,000 and £800,000.
Some 33 homes were given planning permission in 2018 in Calstock, Cornwall
Since the builds were completed, the estate has found itself at the heart of a bitter planning row between the developers and the council
The scale of an abandoned new-build ‘ghost’ estate has today been laid bare in a series of new images
Michael Wight, director of Construction Partners, accused the local authority of ‘weaponising’ legal agreements over the new homes in the Bridge View area.
He said planning officers had added additional requirements to the scheme including a second road, a more complex draining system and a £750,000 retaining wall, which had ‘eroded’ his company’s budget for the estate.
He told of initially allocating £2.8million for the project, which was given planning permission in 2018, before facing the extra interest fees of £1.2million.
Mr Wight also suggested the local authority had blocked the sale of finished homes and that the affordable housing operators they were working with backed out last November over the ‘magnitude’ of potential maintenance to the large wall.
Construction Partners, who were behind the project, said last year that their budget had been completely eroded due to delays and legal disputes with Cornwall Council
They say it stacked up to £1.2million in extra interest payment charges while awaiting approval for the homes
It led to the firm based in Exmouth, Devon, saying it could no longer afford to continue the work – despite many of the properties being finished
Of those built, 15 homes were said to have been allocated for affordable housing – though parish councillors said they were still too costly for most locals
Many of the other homes were believed to have been valued between £500,000 and £800,000
Michael Wight, director of Construction Partners, accused the local authority of ‘weaponising’ legal agreements over the new homes in the Bridge View area
He said planning officers had added additional requirements to the scheme including a second road, a more complex draining system and a £750,000 retaining wall, which had ‘eroded’ his company’s budget for the estate
His fellow director Adele Fulner previously told the BBC it was a ‘complex situation’, and said she was ‘sorry’ that it hadn’t worked out.
She added: ‘I feel like we could have fought harder to make it happen and for that I apologise.’
The family firm said it was ‘soul-destroying’ to put the Calstock development on hold, which had been their largest.
Calstock Parish Councillor, Dorothy Kirk, described the current plight of the estate as ‘a tragic situation where everybody loses’.
Mr Wight said he initially allocated £2.8million for the project, which was given planning permission in 2018, before facing the extra interest fees of £1.2million
He also suggested the local authority had blocked the sale of finished homes and that the affordable housing operators they were working with backed out last November over the ‘magnitude’ of potential maintenance to the large wall
His fellow director Adele Fulner previously told the BBC it was a ‘complex situation’, and said she was ‘sorry’ that it hadn’t worked out
She added: ‘I feel like we could have fought harder to make it happen and for that I apologise’
The family firm said it was ‘soul-destroying’ to put the Calstock development on hold, which had been their largest
Calstock Parish Councillor, Dorothy Kirk, described the current plight of the estate as ‘a tragic situation where everybody loses’
Cllr Kirk added: ‘I hope somehow we can rescue it. We have to find a solution, end of. I don’t want Calstock to be deprived of homes, I don’t want to see the developer lose everything’
Fellow parish councillor Alistair Tinto said: ‘The application would have brought 15 much-needed homes to Calstock’
He added: ‘What would be left is market houses which Calstock doesn’t need at prices around £500,000 to £800.000. That is not affordable. That price is way out of the pockets of the people’
She added: ‘I hope somehow we can rescue it. We have to find a solution, end of. I don’t want Calstock to be deprived of homes, I don’t want to see the developer lose everything.
‘It’s been a long, expensive and difficult journey. We have to have houses for local people.’
Fellow parish councillor Alistair Tinto said: ‘The application would have brought 15 much-needed homes to Calstock.
‘What would be left is market houses which Calstock doesn’t need at prices around £500,000 to £800.000. That is not affordable. That price is way out of the pockets of the people.’
