‘SOUL-destroying” pictures have emerged of a new-build housing estate that has been left unfinished after its developers went bust.
Furious residents have expressed their dismay at the current state of the housing site in Kent, as rubble continues to pile up.
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The now abandoned Mongeham Road estate, which was approved in 2019, should have provided the area with some much-needed housing.
But today, the site on the outskirts of Deal remains far from complete.
The area is littered with piles of rubble while the new builds’ windows and doors have been boarded up.
One house has an unfinished upper flank wall with a wooden framework exposed to the weather.
Locals have been left devastated by the current state of the site that once promised 35 new homes.
Alan King, a resident who lives just a few hundred yards from the site, told KentOnline: “It’s a tragedy that the development site still isn’t complete.”
He went on to say that his friend lives opposite the entrance, and his life has been in constant upheaval ever since the project began.
He explained that the road has been closed and re-opened on multiple occasions.
Another resident has expressed fears that these abandoned properties are on the brink of collapse.
They said: “This shows a scandalous waste of resources and precious land, especially when Deal is so expensive to live in.
“It is soul-destroying to see this go on.”
They explained that the homes need to be finished urgently, in fears that water will get into them over winter and cause them to fall down.
Other residents also branded the whole ordeal a disgrace.
The development sits on a stretch land behind the main road’s South Court Garage.
Separate plans were also submitted last year in a bid to demolish and build a further five homes in its place.
The firm behind the plans, Kent Housing Developments Ltd (KHD), has since gone into administration, according to Companies House.
The latest published accounts show the company owed an eye-watering £8,135,928 to creditors by November 30, 2023.
The housebuilding company, from Hainault, east London, had administrators appointed by the High Court of Justice on August 1 this year.
This comes after another site in Dover has also been left half-built for months.
The developer Enzo Homes has also gone into liquidation as of February this year.
Drone pictures show how construction has carved a blot of chalk into the hillside.
Council bosses served an enforcement notice for work to stop last year, which the developers appealed – but a date for that hearing has still not been set.
These failed developments mark a huge blow for Dover District Council, which has been tasked by the government to hit a target of 789 new homes each year.
A Dover District Council spokesperson said that they understand the frustration of the local residents.
However, said that they have no control over the future of the site, with it being entirely in the hands of the developer.
The spokesperson said: “The council understands the frustration of local residents when developments are halted in the build process, especially when there are people looking for new homes.
“It is, however, the developer’s responsibility and decision as to how and when they build out their site and the council doesn’t have any control over that, provided the planning permission is complied with.
“There are a number of different ways in which homelessness can be measured. We currently have 254 cases where we have accepted a duty to house people as they are homeless.”
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