MP Tom Pursglove agrees 'considerable work needs to be done' at 'shocking' Irthlingborough new build estate after meeting with residents

The residents of a new build estate in Irthlingborough met with their local MP to express their concerns at the state of the nearby green space, and it was agreed that the development is not up to scratch.

After raising the issue with the Northants Telegraph in March, a handful of people from the estate met with MP Tom Pursglove on April 12 to highlight the issues and discuss the next steps.

He said: ”I met with residents of the Diamond Heights estate in Irthlingborough to discuss their concerns about the developer, Davidsons, not completing the estate to the standard that was promised as part of the vision that was sold to them.

"Residents showed me the various issues, including at the green space, and I agree with them that considerable work needs to be done to bring the area up to the standard promised.

"I will be asking for a meeting with the developer and key residents who've raised these concerns with me, to discuss them in detail and see how they can be rectified by the developer moving forward as a priority.”

While the meeting proved productive, residents have reiterated that the problems remain, with exposed manhole covers, patches of uneven ground, and a sub-par play area for children all made worse when the weather declines.

The developer has remained silent on the matter.

Karen Newman, who was at the meeting, said: “Still no real tangible work has taken place to address any of the issues raised and when the estate is finally handed over to Greenbelt, I fully expect the same issues will remain.

“It has all been massively disappointing."

Rachel Wilson, also of Diamond Heights added: “We are grateful that Tom came out to us and are hopeful that with his help things can start to improve.”

People began moving to the new build estate made up of two, three, and four-bedroom houses in January 2021, with new home owners being promised a children’s play area as well as a 1km dog walking route.

However, residents insist that the lack of quality control in the years that have followed have resulted in pets coming home injured, and local children avoiding the park.

Tom Pursglove’s comments conflict with North Northants Councillor Dorothy Maxwell’s views about the development, calling it ‘fine’ when she visited the site in March, believing that ‘the developers have done a good job, actually, a very good job. The site is completely fine.’