New buyers in Northampton distraught at 'pit' dug in middle of neighbourhood by developers

New buyers on Ullswater Close, off Booth Lane South, moved into the new development by Westleigh Homes hoping to see their children play on a patch of grass in the centre of the neighbourhood.

But instead, they wake up every morning to see the plot as a torn up hole in the ground.

Westleigh has dug up the green space and is building it into a basin to handle potential flooding - despite stating it would only come into use in "once in 200 years" level of rain.

But homeowners feel they were never told about the plans and feel like they have been "sold up the river".

One resident, Jay Iddles, who moved in in June, says he handed out a questionnaire to every house in the neighbourhood. Over 20 buyers replied saying they had never been told about the plans.

He said: "All the sales literature we were given show a flat green area. We were even sold on the idea of developing it into a children's playing area.

"Now it has been left as a ditch. I feel I have been mis-sold. I think they didn't tell us so it wouldn't affect sales."

An email to residents from Westleigh claim they have to build the basin according to the lead local flood authority to handle rainfall events with "a probability of occurring once every 200 years".

A spokesperson for Westleigh said: “We are in the process of reviewing every aspect of their queries and we will be providing a full response in due course.

“We would like to thank our customers for raising these concerns.”

Construction on the basin started in May.