The 9.46-acre development was meant to be a bustling marina with swanky cafes, shops, restaurants and brand new apartment blocks – but has been left abandoned for nearly three years
An abandoned ghost estate left incomplete for years has been labelled an eyesore by furious residents after becoming a magnet for yobs. Work on the 220-home estate in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire ground to a halt nearly three years ago, leaving the shells of dozens of hollow structures.
The development was meant to become a thriving marina, boasting swanky cafes, shops and restaurants, alongside brand new apartment blocks. But locals living nearby claim the 9.46 acre construction site has now become a hotspot for teenage gangs starting fires and daubing graffiti.
Ali McDonald, 40, lives opposite the eerie abandoned development and says she’s had to ring the fire brigade three times since construction was paused.
Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. And don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.
Mum-of-one Ali, who works as a cleaner, said: “It’s an eyesore, it’s in front of my house. I can see it out of my living room every day. They’ve not done any work in about three years after working on it for about 18 months.
“There have been a few times where I’ve been leaving for work in the morning and had to call the fire brigade because of fires there.
“I’ve rang them three times and a neighbour has a few times. One time one of the machines that was left there was torched. We don’t have a clue who it is, but we think it’s teenagers going on there, hanging out the windows and going in the houses.”
The brownfield land, which is set just off the River Trent, is up for auction with a guide price of £950,000. Only 20 dwellings had their foundations laid out before workers packed up their tools nearly three years ago.
Another neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said the site looked unsafe and feared for kids playing there. The woman said: “One teenager had to have an ambulance because they fell out the window gap. He was holding onto the brick and slipped and fell. From what I got told he broke his arm.
“They need to makeup their minds about what they’re doing with it. Knock it down and flatten it, or rebuild it. They need to do something about it, because it looks horrible.
“We got told it was going to flats and a shop, but it could be anything now.”
The brownfield site, located just off the River Trent, is being put up for auction with a guide price of £950,000. Just 20 properties had their foundations laid before workers downed tools almost three years ago.
A further neighbour, who asked not to be named, said the development appeared dangerous and expressed concern about children playing there. The woman said: “I don’t know who’s going to take this on but someone needs to, and they need to sharpish.
“I’ve lived her 11 years and what it’s done is basically turn the area into an eyesore. It’s the first thing you see as you come into town – you don’t want that on your doorstep.
“We see kids or teenagers playing on there but it’s unsafe. There’s unfinished homes and they’re empty inside. It’s basically asking for something to go wrong.”
Another neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said the site looked unsafe and feared for kids playing there. The woman said: “We need action to fix whatever this is soon, as I can’t stand looking at it any longer.”
Lib Dem councillor Trevor Young, who represents the ward, said the council were attempting to contact the landowner in order to reach a resolution.
He said: “It’s having a negative impact on residents, not only for the residents opposite, but it’s on the main route through Gainsborough. It’s also having an impact for visitors coming into the town and how they see the town and for future investors.”
“It doesn’t paint a great picture. The site also presents a lot of health and safety issues. We’ve had instances of youths on that site. It’s adjacent to a very large river. And the police have been involved.
“All building sites are dangerous, you shouldn’t have kids playing around on them, someone will get hurt or worse. We’ve previously tried to get the landowner into the council, but he’s refused to meet with us.”
The councillor added: “The owner of the site has put this up for auction. We need to find a solution, hopefully a buyer will come forward. It had huge aspirations, it was supposed to be a marina. It would still be possible, but most of all we need those houses and someone coming forward to finish them.
“To be fair to the council they have put a lot of effort into making the town look nice, and this is having an impact on it. If you lived opposite it you’d think ‘oh god’ it’s not very attractive having that site across from you. It is a massive eyesore for us.”
Fellow Lib Dem councillor Lesley Rollings added: “Millions of pounds have been spent in Gainsborough town centre, businesses have been set up, but this site has been set up and just abandoned.”
“People aren’t seeing how attractive Gainsborough is. It’s on the main road into the town and it’s one of the first things you see. So many parts of the country people are desperate for housing. It changes people’s perception of the town when they visit here, it’s absolutely huge.”
“All it requires is the council putting pressure on people to build or finish these. Housing is a national issue so there should be some drive.”
West Lindsey District Council was contacted for comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login