New homes left in limbo for a year are torn down

DOZENS OF PROPERTIES FELL VICTIM TO DEVELOPER UNCERTAINTY

- By JOSHUA HARTLEY

PART of a new housing estate has been torn down after a prolonged pause in construction left the properties uninhabitable.

Dozens of homes at the Birch Fields development, in Rolleston Drive, near Arnold, have had to be demolished after they were damaged during a pause in construction that lasted more than a year.

When Ilke Homes, which had been appointed by housing association Jigsaw Group to build 131 homes, went out of business in June 2023, 43 modular homes were exposed to the elements for about 12 months as a new contractor was found.

These partially-built properties, some of which had not been fitted with roofs before construction hastily stopped, have now been dramatically reduced to rubble.