Villagers plea over '˜rats and rubble' at former building site

This is according to Shirland and Higham Parish Council who say they are ‘dismayed’ that the site at the junction of Lilac Way and Hallfieldgate Lane has been left to ‘blight’ the area over the past year.

They say that despite being told about the issue on numerous occasions, North East Derbyshire District Council has failed to do anything about it and residents are now angry at the lack of response.

Chairman of Shirland and Higham Parish Council, Councillor Barry Barnes, said: “We have repeatedly requested that NEDDC Enforcement Department address the situation regarding the state that a site at the corner of Lilac Way and Hallfieldgate Lane, Shirland has been left in.

“The site has been deserted after partial preparation to build leaving a large mound of soil and rubble by the footpath trenches exposed some with pipes in an unsafe condition.

“Local people have reportedly seen vermin around the site which is not secured and children are often seen playing on there.

“This has been going on a long time and is not fair on the local residents who take pride in their properties to have this blight at the side of them.”

In addition to the problems at Lilac Way and Hallfieldgate Lane, councillors say they have also had complaints about other areas of the parish and are working with residents to resolve them.

A district council spokesman said: “There have been a number of planning applications for this site over the years. We’ve been talking to the land owners and their solicitors who have confirmed that they would tidy the land up. We are monitoring the site and have sent a further letter to the owner advising them of the action they need to take to resolve the situation.

“With regards to the vermin, we have had no reports of this until now and an environmental health officer has been out to investigate and is dealing with the problem.”