RESIDENTS are up in arms over hoardings which have been in place for TWENTY years.
The site at The Willows in Colchester is owned by Harding Homes.
But for two decades, no progress has been made on developing the site and unsightly hoardings are in place prompting health and safety concerns.
Residents have complained it has now become overgrown and derelict.
Residents living opposite the plot of land have complained about overgrown brambles, the size of the eight feet fencing as well as graffiti which has been sprayed on the hoardings and rats from the site coming into their garden.
One person set up a petition, going round to each of the 210 homes on the estate, receiving 185 signatures in the process.
The petition called on the developer to remove the broken, vandalised hoarding and turn the area back to grassland, so that once a sufficient building plan is in place, the area can be built upon.
Residents have expressed they have no issues with land being built on, instead the eyesore of the derelict space that has been left for 20 years.
Ann Taylor, a resident who has lived at the Willows for 23 years, moving in shortly before the first planning permission to build on the plot went through.
Ann said: “Visitors always comment on it, it seems absolutely ridiculous. The council are saying there’s nothing they can do about it. We are all getting really angry about it.
“People get demoralised with it; we keep trying to get something sorted with it, but nothing seems to happen. It’s been this way for years.
“Why do we have to be exposed to this monstrosity for over 20 years? It’s hideous.”
John Scott, a Willows resident since 1971, said: “We’ve seen vermin running around, it looks like a derelict area, the hoarding looks awful.
“We have tried many times to get into contact with Harding Homes, however they have ignored all of our pleas, it seems they don’t want to meet us.”
The Gazette contacted Harding Homes but they did not respond at the time of going to press.
Colchester Council have arranged a meeting on Thursday, July 28th to discuss potential plans to move forward with the hoarding.
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