Yahoo News Builder reveals why he constructed house around lamppost
The home in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester is currently still under construction, but the outside has caught the attention of locals.
A builder criticised for constructing a house around a lamppost has defended the unorthodox appearance of the Greater Manchester property.
The home located on Whiteacre Road in Ashton-under-Lyne, where houses are sold between £85,000 and £150,000, is currently still under construction, but the outside of it has caught the attention of locals.
David Green, an experienced builder, realised very quickly that the rest of the lampposts on the street were all in line with one another, whereas the lamppost causing the problem was a step back.
Green was left with two choices: to either stop everything and wait three months for the council to remove the lamppost or to go ahead with building the house. Green decided to go ahead with the latter after he noticed the lamppost goes right through where the fascias were meant to be. He sealed it into the fascia board with some roof tiles.
A photo of the house was posted on social media, one person joked: "The cost of street lighting going through the roof!"
One local said: "It does look odd. To me, it's the council's fault. They've approved the plans knowing the lamp post was there."
It did lead to some criticism, but Green explained that this was a temporary measure and that he had built everything according to the drawings. Green said he made the owner of the house aware from the start.
He said: “The fascias are pinned in, there's no soffits underneath, and we've sealed it, or we'd have just held the job up three months.”
“It'll be a case of moving a couple of tiles, letting the council remove the lamppost, then we can patch it up and fit the soffits.”
A Tameside Council spokesperson said: “We have spoken to the developer and they have agreed to remove the lamppost and replace it nearer a neighbouring boundary wall.”
Can I complain about a lamppost outside my house?
Lampposts on public roads fall under the responsibility of your local authority. Problems with the lighting, placement or physical damage of lampposts need to be flagged to the council the light is in. It is fairly simple to report a lamppost to your local council.
Each area may have their own process of reporting, but depending on its urgency, councils could send someone out to inspect within 48 hours.
You can input your postcode here, and it'll take you to the designated website for your area to make the complaint.
Recommended reading
Council slams 'dangerous' trend of traffic cones on lampposts in Bucks town (Bucks Free Press)
Drivers pay the price as councils fail to fix pothole epidemic (The Telegraph)
