Peterborough residents take initiative in neighbourhood clean-up

The Cardea development has been built and is managed by Persimmon, which means it is responsible for maintenance rather than Peterborough City Council.

Some residents have been critical of the company’s approach to this.

On Saturday, a group of residents decided to take action themselves and clean up broken fence panels and excess rubbish after gaining health and safety clearance from Persimmon.

The group of 14 braved the wet conditions and within two hours had cleared the estate of 38 bags of rubbish, a van full of wood, two scooters and 40 plastic plant supports.

Residents have held a number of community clean-ups before, but last weekend, Daniel McClelland and Andy Ferris spent close to three hours wading through the site’s two lagoons to clear them of rubbish. They managed to fish out around 30 different pieces of wood, litter, scooters and even a 55 inch TV.

Another resident, Gary Willis, offered the use of his van and between 9-10am the three drove around the neighbourhood loading the van with rubbish, before meeting with other volunteers at the community pavilion.

Daniel said: “We’re in a bit of a grey area as the council can’t help and we keep having to chase Persimmon.

“Andy and I both walk dogs and got fed up with the state of the water features on the estate.

“We have repeatedly asked Persimmon and the council to do something and have been repeatedly promised but with no work being done for over two years.

“This came to a head a few weeks ago when I walked with my dog past a park bench that was gradually rotting away.

“With this in mind, I decided to sand down and paint the bench and posted it on line, to which I got a massive response of support but also outrage towards Persimmon, who have promised things would be done months ago but have still not done the work.

“This is a great example of the community coming together when large companies like Persimmon don’t seem to care and take a back seat while negotiating with the council, allowing the estate to go downhill and remain in a bad state of repair.

A spokesperson for Persimmon Homes added: “We are aware of concerns and are in direct communication with Cardea residents.

“We currently have a regime in place for a twice weekly visit to empty bins and a grounds team maintaining green spaces and shrubs.

“We will review the regime with our contractors and increase frequency if required.”