Cheshire: Resident’s fury over ‘appalling’ state of unfinished estate

Craig Dentith moved to Florence Way on the Wharton Green estate, Winsford, last December with his partner Sarah and their one-year-old daughter Emelia.

However, a lack of street lighting, unfinished roads and an ever-growing pool of water have left him 'appalled'.

Craig, a patient care advisor at Health Intelligence, has raised the issues with the developers Equans, 

The 27-year-old said: “The estate is hampered by inadequate street lighting with only a very small amount of them that actually work.

“I have also raised concerns about the unfinished park which is currently blocked off and the state of our roads and footpaths which desperately need resurfacing and are starting to cause damage to peoples’ cars.

“Next to the park is a huge ditch filled with deep water, obviously this has worsened due to the recent weather.

“Not only is this an eye-sore but it’s extremely dangerous and poses a huge risk to young children who may try and explore the area as it’s only fenced off by metal fencing.”

A pool of deep water continues to grow in the middle of the estate (Image: Craig Dentith)

The lack of lighting outside their home is of particular concern due to a very rare disability Sarah has called Brody Syndrome, which causes her muscles to seize up and spasm.

He first raised this to Equans in August and was told this would be resolved. However, nearly three months later, nothing has been done.

This comes despite the firm claiming they had 'completed work' at the site in September.

Craig added: “Equans departed the estate in mid-summer and has been relishing the headlines of a ‘completed’ estate, unfortunately for my family and many others this isn’t the case and has caused a huge amount of misery.

“There is no sign that the estate is going to be completed any time soon and the state it has been left in is completely appalling.

“The fact we have been left with an estate which barely has any street lighting, unfinished roads in a shocking condition and a park that will soon only be suitable for fishing is disastrous and I and many others are starting to have regrets about moving to the estate.

“My message to Equans would be to show some respect to the residents on the estate. Tell us what’s going on, keep us updated and get these issues sorted urgently!”

The current state of the roads at Wharton Green (Image: Craig Dentith)

A spokesperson for Equans has now said the development is only 'legally complete', and that 'unforeseen delays' have pushed back the full completion of the estate.

They said: “Equans is committed to completing the Wharton Green development as soon as possible and would like to reassure residents we are working hard behind the scenes to do so.

"The press release shared on September 20 was to share the positive news that all plots are now legally completed, while works to the larger estate continue.

“There has been a handful of unforeseen delays meaning that the full completion of the estate has been pushed back, however we continue to work alongside Cheshire West and Chester Council and our partners to overcome this in a timely manner."