Aylesbury: Rabans Close demolition works affect estate

Residents at the Haydon Hill estate, Aylesbury, were left angered after demolition of a giant warehouse nearby caused debris and dust to scatter around, landing on homes and cars.

A long-term resident Colin Foster said they knew the demolition of the industrial complex known locally as ‘old Sony warehouse’ on Rabans Close was coming up.

The council approved the plans for 200 new homes with parking and landscaping in December, and demolition works kicked off in January after the holidays.

Lumps of fiberglass were scattered around parts of the estate (Image: Colin Foster)

Colin said first the cars were covered in thick dust, which stuck onto windshields. Then fibreglass and rubbish started flying around as the works progressed and moved closer to his home around 200 yards away.

“It’s being knocked down and the demolition is causing a mess around. Fiberglass was stuck on the train tracks.

“There’s lumps of it all over the estate.”

He said he wanted to see the old warehouse hone as it blocks the skyline, but the estate should not be “covered in c**p”.

“If I scattered that much rubbish around that would be littering and I’d be in trouble, but if it’s a company they can just do it,” he added.

He said heard a constant loud clanging noise from the site.

He had spotted a local company carrying out the works, Putnam Construction Services.

The owner Jake Putnam told the Free Press that since commencing demolition earlier this month the operations had “minimal impact” on the surroundings until Saturday, January 20.

When planning the works, they had taken into account the lower elevation of the homes, and to mitigate potential noise and minimise disruption, they had decided to retain the north-eastern wall of the warehouse, he said.

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However, the strong winds over the weekend of January 20 brought “challenges”. The edges of the sheet material lifted and allowed “non-deleterious materials to be carried by the wind,” Jake explained.

He continued: “Upon inspecting the site on Sunday morning, I confirmed that the structure itself was unaffected, but the loose sheet material was causing a banging noise. Given the continuing adverse weather, a decision was made to postpone rectification until the wind subsided.

 “By Monday morning, with a slight improvement in weather conditions, we proceeded to remove the remaining roof structure and reduce wall height to eliminate the disturbance caused.

"Unfortunately, this process resulted in some airborne non-deleterious materials, despite diligent dust suppression measures. We acknowledge the inconvenience this may have caused and assure you that while regrettable, it poses no harm.

 “While we have implemented additional measures to prevent any further issues of this nature. We wish to inform you that the Met Office have issued further yellow weather warnings for this week. Our team will be closely monitoring the site to ensure swift action is taken to prevent a recurrence . Your safety and comfort remain our priority.

 “We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused and appreciate your understanding of the adverse challenges posed by the recent weather conditions.”