Bristol homes axed due to poor foundation problems

Yesterday it was unveiled cranes were being used to remove numerous new homes from a city development after foundation issues were discovered earlier this year.

185 modular homes have been constructed as part of the Legal and General development at Bonnington Walk in Lockleaze, Bristol and even though they look worthy enough to house local residents, major issues lie beneath their surface.

People who had been preparing to move in were alerted to the foundation issues affecting some of the homes in February and offered compensation.

After the foundation issues were discovered with the properties, of which were being built in April 2021 meaning residents should now be moving into them, developers have warned they could take six to 12 months to fix.

As people are no longer able to move into the properties, city councillor for Lockleaze, David Wilcox, outlined the drastic ripple effects this would have.

Cllr Wilcox said: ‘Legal and General said homes were ready to move into at the end of last year and I know people who were ready to move it.

‘However, that didn’t happen, and people had mortgage deals set up then.

‘Now of course the mortgage landscape has completely changed, and people can no longer afford to meet those mortgage deals.’

As a result of the cost-of-living continuing to climb, the Bank of England have been forced to hike up interest rates in a bid to stop England from entering a great recession. One of the repercussions of this was leading banks across the UK, including Lloyds and Santander, had to increase mortgage deals.

In addition, Cllr Wilcox claimed he was also concerned about Legal and General closing its modular housing factory in North Yorkshire. The company blamed ‘long planning delays’ and the impact on the pandemic for years of weak demand.

Cllr Wilcox said: ‘They are no longer producing modular housing [so] people who are moving to the homes may not have the correct level of support.

‘So I would be looking for Legal and General to be providing certification, maintenance and support for the people moving in.’

According to data obtained by the BBC, around 20 prospective buyers have pulled out of their agreements, with one man telling the media outlet that he could ‘not wait any longer’.

Legal and General said once the existing modules have been removed, new homes will be ‘replaced on site after the foundations have been rectified’.

Image: Artem Labunsky