Marleberg Grange, the very attractive new development to the South of Marlborough opposite to Tesco and the Business Park has proved popular with residents and newcomers to the area alike.
All properties are now sold but the developers have still a few issues to resolve, like the finishing surface to some of the roads and pavements.
Sure, like in many new developments there will be snags, it’s inevitable and any buyer of a new house will expect that. But for some, quite a few residents in Marleberg Grange it goes a bit deeper and they are less than happy with the response from developers Redrow regarding one important issue – drainage.
Drainage is important and many residents have found that their drains have become blocked for no apparent reason. This has been taken up with developer Redrow but their response has been to blame residents for attempting to flush wet wipes and nappies(!) down their toilets.
Wet wipes in particular are a potential source of blockage in the drainage/sewer system of many towns but generally this occurs only in extreme circumstances. And is there a problem elsewhere in Marlborough? Not that we are aware of, so why does this just affect Marleberg Grange? Regarding nappies – they can be a problem but rarely, as they will be disposed of in the normal waste disposal ‘bin’ procedure as when attempting to flush a nappy down the toilet will block it up immediately. But wet wipes, being smaller are different and they don’t break down and degrade naturally as they are essentially a plastic based fabric.
Have any residents seen such a build-up of nappies and wipes? Not that we are aware but Redrow have circulated a letter to all residents advising about the potential problems due to flushing wipes and nappies into the sewage system. They also asked that ‘no fat based products such as oil or grease be disposed of through the drainage system as when this cools it will solidify and causes blockages’.
A full CCTV surgery was carried out by Thames Water recently which passed inspection and Redrow have asked that Thames Water ‘place the sewers onto 12 months maintenance’.
Hopefully this will address the issue, or at least alleviate the worst of the problems. Drainage was an issue at the Planning stage for the development, and Thames Water originally objected because of concerns – see the actual Planning Application – 17/03219/REM – and under ‘Comments’, view the Thames Water comment dated 02 May 2017. Whether their initial concerns are in any way related to the recent drains blockage issue, not possible to comment without expert opinion but drainage, sewage and this development have been drawn together at an early stage.
But resident and Town Councillor Kelvyn Shantry, who has been at the forefront of dialogue with developers Redrow regarding getting this issue resolved is adamant that Marleberg Grange is an excellent development, a great place to live and for families to bring up children, with easy access to the town, but he reinforces the need for the developer, Redrow ‘to accept responsibility for the drains and communicate faster and more often with the residents’. A small request indeed but one that is vitally important to the developer’s clients – the house buyers and residents of this development and of any other by Redrow, elsewhere……
GWR train disruptions update
