Residents of Holmhead Gardens in Cumnock have hit out over what they claim to be a complete disregard for health and safety on the part of the estate’s developers over nearly three years.

Residents are aggrieved about “the lack of care and terrible handling” of the site by Auberne Homes, namely snagging which they claim is yet to be finished on several houses and roads and pavement which have been left “half-done”.

They say cars have had tyres punctured due to nails and glass, and one resident said their car nearly had its front bumper ripped off due to potholes.

Cumnock Chronicle:

Uneven kerbs also constitute serious tripping hazards, say locals, with one man claiming his daughter has fallen multiple times due to raised manhole covers and dips in the road. Residents say it’s only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured.

It is understood Auberne told residents that road improvements would be made by March 2020. This was delayed due to COVID but thereafter there has been little to no correspondence of a completion date, leaving homeowners feeling “ignored”.

A resident told the Chronicle: “Around August we pressed them again about the road as COVID had been going on for six months and they had been carrying out work in Auchinleck. They said it would be done for Christmas but nothing has been done.

“They’ve lied to us. Anytime we message it’s read and ignored. It’s infuriating.

“Cars coming through here get punctures. I’ve got a big Jeep but even that is pretty hairy on the top coat of the road. Some of the kerbs are burst and broken and they’ve dug up where the path is going, so the first thing you see is a big pile of muck and rubbish which is an eyesore. The site is a tip.”

Cumnock Chronicle:

A spokesperson for Viga Homes, sister company of Auberne, said: “We have attended to a number of snagging items, but unfortunately, since COVID hit in March 2020, we have not been in a position to attend to any snagging unless it is an emergency.

“Any internal snagging works will be rearranged for a future date in line.

“It is standard practice to run on a base coat of tar with the final coat being completed once all heavy traffic has stopped. We were contacted last week, prior to any contact by the newspaper, from a client asking about the final surfacing. We confirmed that we have scheduled the outstanding works to be carried out, with the final surfacing scheduled in for the first week in June 2021."

They continued: "We were emailed last week, again before the newspaper approached, by a resident who informed us that their child had tripped. We informed the client that this would be investigated and rectified. We have since highlighted any trip hazards and installed tar fillets around them until final surfacing is carried out. We had initially compacted stone at these areas but this had obviously washed away.

“We acknowledge there are materials stored at the compound area. As of today we have erected a temporary fence around this area. A landscaping proposal had been agreed with the council that will incorporate the existing lodge house. The anticipated time for completion is early May.”