Tunstall villagers fear for health over construction dust cloud

People living near a site which is being developed for housing have expressed concerns for their health after large dust clouds blew over.

Taylor Wimpey is currently building 300 homes at Ufton Court Farm outside Tunstall, which saw over 200 objections when it went to planning in 2024, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said., external

Pensioners and vulnerable adults living nearby say they have been forced to keep their windows closed to keep out the dust from the on-going works.

Developer Taylor Wimpey said "appropriate measures" were being taken to "mitigate disruption", and that is was monitoring the situation..

Pam Hirons, 82, who has a long-term lung condition, said: "It's horrible. I've not been out in the garden hardly at all."

"This noise, all this dirt and dust all the time, it's just hell," added Hirons, whose house directly backs on to the construction site.

Residents are supposedly protected from construction dust that could be a public nuisance or damaging to health under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

But despite Taylor Wimpey having a Construction Environmental Management Plan in place, the neighbourhood is regularly coated in a thin layer covering cars, solar panels and signage, they say.

Trish Edy, 63, said: "[Taylor Wimpy's] attitude was to go directly through our home insurance for any damages. It's almost like no one actually cares."

Her husband, John Edy, said: "When we got in contact with the council, they then forced them to get bowsers and water cannons in, but they're very rarely used."

Dust which appears to have been blown over from the construction site has covered cars, signs and solar panels

The site is monitored by Swale Borough Council and Mid Kent Environmental Health, who can take formal action if a site is not protecting the public adequately to restrict the amount of dust being emitted.

The local authority said: "We have taken this matter extremely seriously, working extensively...to address the issues that have been raised by our residents.

"Some dust generation is unfortunately unavoidable on a large active construction site, particularly during exceptionally dry conditions like the country has been experiencing this summer."

A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said: "We recognise residents' concerns about dust during the recent hot and dry weather and apologise for any disruption this has caused.

"Appropriate measures are in place to mitigate disruption and we will continue to closely monitor the situation as works continue."

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