SHOCKING aerial pictures showed how a brand new housing development was razed to the ground.
Diggers have now demolished dozens of newbuilds at the Darwin Green site in Cambridge.
Barratt and David Wilson Homes Cambridgeshire admitted last year that 36 properties needed to be torn down and rebuilt following foundation issues.
They have now completed phase one of the demolition and started on phase two.
A third phase is expected and all demolition work is set to be completed by April.
Large screens have been put up to protect neighbouring properties from dust and debris throughout the demolition process.
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In a planning application to Cambridge City Council for the demolition last autumn, the developers said tiles and other materials, would be salvaged where possible.
Concrete and brick would also be crushed on site and reused.
Barratt David Wilson Homes Cambridgeshire said last June that “during inspections” of the site they found some of the homes did not meet their “usual high standards”.
They added the “most effective course of action” was to “demolish the properties and re-build them”.
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The massive development, which lies 1.6 miles north west of the city centre, has outline approval for up to 1,593 homes, as well as a new primary school, supermarket and library.
The new community will also feature a central park, with 15-acres of open space, and sports facilities.
Phase two of the development is currently being built, with two, three, four and five-bedroom homes now selling for between £575,995 and £850,995.
It is believed a number of the affected homes had already been sold, but are not yet occupied.
Some of the affected homes are still in the process of being built.
Barratt and David Wilson Homes posted in a statement: “Following the first phase of demolition, we can confirm that the second phase has now started.
“These works were initially delayed to facilitate a change in the fabric of the netting and to increase the length of the screen in order to provide greater protection to the existing residents of Darwin Green from the demolition works.
“On completion of the second phase of work, a third phase of demolition works will be undertaken.
“The demolition contractor, Demolition Services Ltd. is aiming to complete all demolition works by the end of April 2024 and we will continue to provide an update on the progress of the demolition works.”
Neighbours’ fear
Many residents fear their properties could be pummelled to the ground next.
Christian Sutherland, 43, previously told The Sun that the prospect of newbuilds on the estate being flattened was “frightening”.
His four-year-old son Cameron needs a tracheostomy tube to help him breathe.
The software engineer said: “The amount of dust that will be thrown up is scary.
“We are just getting settled in here and really like the community but this does not fill us with confidence.
“We have been offered a longer warranty – an extra 15 years on top of the existing 10 but are concerned by the lack of checks.
“How did the houses they are now knocking down ever get as far as being built? This should be basic stuff to a house builder.
The amount of dust that will be thrown up is scary.
Christian Sutherland
“It seems to me like on big developments councils are taking a back seat and allowing private companies to have all the responsibilities.
“They are driven by profit so it is not a safe situation.”
Daniel Welby, 33, an HR analyst, said: “I feel very sorry for those who were just about to move into these properties.
“Some people were just days away from moving in.
“It is a worrying situation because no matter how much they assure us, this is the reputation of the estate now so if we wanted to sell, would this put people off?”
Mark Wells, 61, a finance broker who paid £650,000 for his four-bed home, said: “It did worry us to start with but they got a third party to come and do a report on these houses and they said that all the phase one homes are OK.
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“The affected houses had big cracks straight away. Some of the families who were due to move in had already exchanged contracts but not completed when they found out.
“It will cause a lot of suffering because chains will be affected. It will be down to cost-cutting, of that I am certain.”
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Jonathan Rose
