Really, what should have happened at the end of the build was the installation of a series of Gabbion cages to deal with the Lias clay hillside. Taking a huge slice out of a hill with natural springs bubbling throughout, was surely going to be a problem, and so it has proved.

The developer and builder attempted to hide the issue with a poorly made wooden fence from the cheapest range of panels which were poorly fitted and flimsy.

As the Autumn of 2022 progressed, the topsoil (which the developer had dispersed over the hill) slipped to the bottom of the slope in the wetter weather and was followed by the glutinous Lias clay beneath, moving very slowly, adhering to the rules of gravity…

My neighbour told me that an arrangement he had made with the developer a year earlier, to shore up the slope, and to build a fence between his land and mine, was not honoured either.

As of October 2023, no work has started…and the developer remains elusive.

The fence in the image above had to be removed before the subsiding Lias clay slope pulled it down.

The slope moving inexorably downwards…and dragging the fence with it.

The Lias clay oozes over the concrete blocks…

The fence was eventually removed at my expense…

And the small strip of cladding laid from the top of the stairs along the side of the concrete tongue is a hiding detail. What is it hiding?

It hides the extent of the inward sloping bacony which is 250mm higher; front to back. The concrete “tongue” behind it is level.

As of October 2023 the developer still has not remedied the situation and the weight of clay and soil is putting pressure on the outside stairs which is, in turn is affecting the wall…a crack is visible…

and the wall, which is only one block wide is twisting.

The image above and those below illustrate further worrying subsidence.

February 2024

The image below showing a further overnight mudslide along the side of my property.

23/02/24

The last concrete block on top of the piling below, is at the top right of this image. The mud is being eroded by the spring beneath and oozing around this piling. More rain will see it compromise my house further.

The two images below are of conditions 9 and 10 from the granted planning permissions and which indicate the devlopers resposibilities regarding this land.

There is still no sign of the developer…not for a look and not for a chat…and the Lias clay subsides in waves. It has now blocked my neighbours steps completely..,

Images taken 18/19th March 2024

5/04/24

The adjacent slope subsides further. Lots of rain in prospect with storm Cathleen on the horizon.

Is this situation being caused by water draining from the plot at the rear of my house?

This overgrown and dangerous sloping land is owned by the developer and is causing a nuisance; if it is not remedied the water runoff will damage my property further.

The house roof is visible in the bottom corner of the image

I am already chasing Brambles out of my guttering…

This is part of the hill behind my house and the slope is very steep. The water runoff cascades into the alley behind the house and is torrential during periods of wet weather.