Residents in Auchterarder have blasted a housing developer over an abandoned worksite they say poses a health hazard.
Muir Homes has come under fire after failing to clear its former construction compound at The Castleton – a collection of its new build homes in the Perthshire town – for around six months.
The deserted site is littered with building debris – including pallets, plastic sheeting, fencing, plastic taping, broken signage and pieces of pipe.
Temporary offices on the compound are also breaking down, leaving wood, plastic, and insulation “open to the elements”.
An Auchterarder community group says the derelict piece of land is not only having a “social impact” on people living in the area, but is a threat to local people and wildlife.
Fiona Mackintosh, chairwoman of Auchterarder GreenSpaces Group, says residents are “dismayed, upset and angry”.
She told The Courier: “Apart from the social impact for people living here, this is a health and environmental hazard for both people, pets and our wildlife.
“The impacts of plastic on our environment are well documented, leaving all this exposed to the elements means that it will end up as litter in our local environment, breaking down into our soils and getting into water courses.”
‘Lack of concern shown for community’
She added: “This should be treated as fly-tipping and littering.
“To simply walk away and allow the site to degrade in such a way shows a lack of concern for our community and our environment by Muir Homes.
“It also suggests a lack of accountability which is rife throughout the construction industry.”
A spokesperson for Muir Homes says the company was not aware of the issue until contacted by The Courier on Thursday.
They said: “Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
“As soon as we became aware of this on Thursday we arranged for our managing director to visit the site urgently.
“He visited the site first thing on Friday morning.
Work to clear site will be completed ‘as quickly as possible’
“We are now putting in place a plan to deal with the issues raised, so improve the site.
“This work will be prioritised and completed as quickly as possible.”
The Auchterarder development, which was opened in 2014, is a mix of bungalows, stylish terraced and semi-detached villas and luxury top-end three, four and five-bedroom detached villas.
It is located 10 minutes from world-famous golf course Gleneagles.
It’s understood further building will take place at the site once planning approval is obtained.
Conversation