Building site dust causes misery for Mackworth residents
However local residents said the issue should have been addressed sooner.
"It's too little, too late. This should have been set up at the start of it, said Mick Walsh, 56."One of the things that they said they were going to do was be considerate to residents that are already here."Ms McDougall, 49, added: "The whole road needs cleaning first. They've left it too long. "They're wetting it, but there's that much soil on the road that it's just turning into slush. It's being dragged up all again, it's ridiculous."Cohen, 7, and Braydon, 10, said their school was "thick with dust" and they had both developed a cough."It's not very nice. It's all going over kids' chests and making them cough," said Braydon.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says construction dust can "seriously damage health" and ways of limiting the amount of dust should be assessed before work begins.Amber Valley Borough Council said it had received 22 complaints about the dust.Diane Sims, 66, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) said: "I walked out yesterday and got a full face of dust. It was all in my eyes and I can't breathe."My niece was playing in the garden and she was covered in it."Nick Bull, 62, said: "Lots of old folk live on this estate. They can't come out in their gardens, they can't breathe. It's absolutely horrendous.""My wife is an asthmatic. She can't sit in the garden some days. You hang washing out and it's dirtier than before you put it in the washing machine."Mackworth and New Zealand councillor Gaurav Pandey said: "This has been going on for a long time. "At least 50 people have complained to me. It's not just about the cars or the dust in the air, people who have respiratory problems say they're having difficulty breathing. Health is a concern at the moment."
A Miller Homes spokesperson said: "The recent spell of warm, dry weather conditions has brought additional challenges in managing the spread of dust at our Mackworth site."In response to this, we have introduced water bowsers and sprinklers to suppress dust, road sweepers are being used regularly to keep the mud off internal roads and prevent mud reaching Radbourne Lane, and the perimeter of the site is to be netted to further reduce the spread of dust beyond the site's perimeter. "We are committed to ensuring that all building work can be carried out safely, and we are making every effort to minimise the impact on neighbours and local residents."We will continue to liaise with our contractors and the local authority to establish any additional measures that could be used to help minimise the impact of dust and mud on the roads and in the immediate local area."Miller Homes says it anticipates being on site until the end of 2028.Co-developer Redrow said: "Our work on site is currently at a very early stage, limited to ground and infrastructure preparation."We understand there are concerns in the area about dust and disruption and want to reassure residents that we're taking proactive steps to minimise any impact from our activity."These include using two large water tanks throughout the day to dampen down dust, a road sweeper operating full-time along Radbourne Lane, and regular clearing of the road surface."We take our responsibilities to the local community seriously and will continue to monitor conditions closely."
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