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Residents of a ten-year-old housing estate left with bumpy roads, cordoned-off paths and unfinished communal gardens say the situation has become a “massive joke”.
Construction on the Central Park North development in Darlington, between Haughton Road and Hundens Lane, began in 2015, with housebuilder Keepmoat marketing the site as a 350-house “mega-development”.
But a decade on, residents say there are gaps in the roads and safety fences remain strewn across the site, while a promised green area still hasn't been built.
Developers Keepmoat have committed to completing their works on the site in the coming months.
One resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, moved in eight years ago, and thought issues back then were just part of buying a new-build home.
The homeowner, who lives on John Williams Way, described the ongoing problems as "a massive joke".
No progress has been made in the landscaped area, and delays in replacing bulbs in streetlights in winter left residents on the estate walking in the dark.
Instead of communal landscaped gardens promised by Keepmoat as a village green-style feature, there are patches of sand and temporary fencing.
They said: "It's just shoddy that this is still happening years later. I would never have bought the house if I knew it was going to pan out like this.
"Streets and cul-de-sacs on the site have been impacted by this."
Before development started on Central Park North, images of how the estate would look were released, which included manicured grass areas, an ecology reserve, and an area called “Lakeside”, which promised "a dramatic landscaped area as the main focal point for Central Park".
Homeowners have recently looked into creating a residents’ association to give them a stronger collective voice when dealing with Keepmoat.
A representative of the association, which is in the early stages of being set up, was one of the first to have a house on Central Park North, moving onto the estate in 2015.
The homeowner described living on a building site for two and a half years while waiting for the other 350 properties on the site to be built and added: "I was messed about by Keepmoat for a long time, and the issues still exist to this day.
"Residents are fed up with the delays, the lack of communication, and we deserve better.
"I didn't think having a house and estate that's liveable was too much to ask."
Members of Darlington Council have also criticised Keepmoat and warned that the authority will not adopt the scheme if it is left unfinished.
Councillor Ian Haszeldine, who covers the Stephenson ward, accused Keepmoat of having "no consideration for resident wellbeing", and helped fund the new residents’ association with money from his council allowance.
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He said: "I've had a lot of complaints over the years - from bad drains to no tarmac on roads - the list is endless.
"Because the council can't adopt the site until it's signed over - these residents are paying council tax, but all they are getting is their bins emptied, not other council services that other homeowners can expect."
In response to the ongoing issues, Ian Worgan, regional managing director at Keepmoat North East, said: “Keepmoat is committed to building thriving communities and takes resident feedback extremely seriously.
"We have already completed final surfacing on the first two phases, and our subcontractor is currently on site carrying out remedial works on the remaining phases ahead of the final road surfacing taking place.
“The remaining works are expected to conclude over the coming months, and our Customer Care team will continue to share progress with residents.”
A Darlington Borough Council spokesperson added: “We’re aware of concerns raised by residents at this site and will continue to liaise with developers to press for the outstanding works to be completed to an acceptable standard.”
The issues at the Central Park development come after residents at the 59-home Story Homes development on Carmel Road South, in Darlington, have raised concerns over safety issues that they say remain unresolved.
Residents slammed it as a "diabolical" hazard after developers stopped work, leaving exposed pipes and unfinished paths.
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