Developer warned over site

Fresh calls have been made for development at Warbreck Gardens

Five unfinished houses at Warbreck Gardens in North Shore have become a target for vandals over the past four years.

Despite calls from councillors and residents, the site still remains undeveloped.

Last month the council issued a community protection notice calling on the site’s owner , Housing Ladder, to improve the look of the area.

The use of such a notice is part of powers aimed at helping local authorities clamp down on anti-social behaviour.

Claremont councillor Ivan Taylor, whose ward includes the development, said: “I asked for the notice to be served because of the condition of the site, and to try and put some pressure on the owners to do something about it.

“They have been tidying it up to some degree although the fencing on Devonshire Road is an eyesore and prone to be broken into.

“What everyone really wants to see is for development to go ahead as it is four years since Housing Ladder purchased the site.

“They are making endless promises about going ahead with ahousing development on there but it never happens.

“What is in everyone’s interests is to see the site developed either by Housing Ladder or someone else if they dispose of the site.

“It is extremely frustrating and I still get a lot of complaints from people who live nearby.”

The unfinished homes have fallen into disrepair since the site’s original developers, Chelford Properties Ltd, went into administration in 2012.

The building site on Coopers Way remains derelict, with unfinished houses.

David Sleath, managing director at Housing Ladder, was unavailable for comment when The Gazette approached the company for a response.

But he has previously stated development had been due to start by the end of April this year.

Gary Johnston, head of planning at Blackpool Council, said: “Some tidying up has been carried out at the site and we are monitoring it at the moment.

“We are also awaiting an application for a revised layout for the rest of the site.”

Concerns were first highlighted in The Gazette in 2013, when the site was targeted by vandals.

A community protection notice can be issued by a local authority to impose a requirement to carry out a specific task.

The one issued in relation to Coopers Way was due to the ‘poor condition’ of the site and gave six weeks to comply.