They're building Stockport's newest luxury flats - the neighbours say it's a nightmare

It promises to become one of the town's best places to live - but some say its construction has turned their area of Stockport into a 'nightmare'. On the banks of the River Mersey in Edgeley, Springmount Mill is one of the town's new premium property developments, creating more than 200 homes within walking distance of the exciting transformation taking place in the centre of Stockport.

Construction is now well under way at the site on Northgate Road, where new one, two, and three-bedroom apartments are being built, along with car parking spaces, electric-vehicle charging points, and cycle storage. The entrance to the construction site, on Northgate Road, is next to residential streets and a primary school, with nearly every inch of pavement space used by cars.

The influx of workers has made finding a space even more difficult, and locals say they're having to put up with abuse and anti-social behaviour from contractors working on the buildings. Asa Caton is a councillor for the Edgeley Community Association who lives opposite the development, which is being led by Carpenter Investments and Carpenter Build.

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He's got a background in construction, with 25 years of experience in the industry. He claims that at Springmount Mill basic health and safety measures - such as the use of high-vis jackets and hard hats - are not always being followed.

He also claims to have seen a worker pouring vodka into a soft drink bottle, and has concerns about drug use around the area. He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "It's continual issues with the developer in terms of parking and all the site traffic. I've had the parking problems raised by residents.

"There's been an increase in the number of contractors that are smoking and drinking alcohol." He claims that 'about six months ago a team went down a local alleyway and smoked weed outside someone's back garden'. He claims that when she asked them to move 'she got a load of abuse'.

"A few months later I watched a contractor tip out a bottle of soft drink and replace it with vodka," Asa added. "I've seen several contractors around the site smoking weed."

Using his insider knowledge of how building sites work, the Edgeley councillor reported the issues to the site manager, which he claims resulted in people being "removed immediately", but he claims that problems have still persisted.

Carpenter Investments, the applicant behind the new flats, is a company based in Liverpool which describes itself as 'one of the North West's most innovative property developers and investors'. The LDRS could not find a working website for the firm, nor any contact details listed online other than an enquiries email address and landline number for Carpenter Build.

All attempts to contact Carpenter Build over a week failed, with the developer not responding to any of the claims put to it. Approached by LDRS with the allegations about the contractors, the Health and Safety Executive confirmed they had investigated Springmount Mill site after a health and safety complaint was submitted in November 2022 during work on a previous version of the scheme, but found everything to be in order after an inspector's visit.

Alison Solomon, 60, lives on nearby Posnett Street. She and her husband have a disabled parking bay outside their home, a small perk which makes their lives more accessible. She said she's been putting up with issues from workers at the site for months, including at times contractors parking in their disabled space and being abusive when asked to move.

Adding to the problems, she said, was the use of artic lorries on Northgate Road, often coming in or out of the building site while school children were trying to cross the road. She told the LDRS: "It's an absolute nightmare. It used to be Monday to Friday but now they work Saturdays too.

"We're getting refused deliveries because they [delivery drivers] can't park on the road. There's just no consideration from the builders at all. We've had my car damaged twice with workers walking past with toolboxes, and the smell of weed is unbelievable.

"The way they park is unsafe. I hit a bike recently because I couldn't see him and he couldn't see me because of the parked cars. Every day at school times they've got the big artics parked up. Before long a child will be killed. I've lived here for 31 years and I'm ready for selling up, it's that bad. I don't know how they're getting away with it."

Meanwhile, Callum Walmsley, an Edgeley local who stood for election as Labour councillor in the ward, claims to have had complaints of issues associated with Springmount Mill brought up a number of times by people on surrounding streets while out knocking on doors campaigning. He told the LDRS: "It is completely unacceptable that Edgeley residents are having to put up with unprofessional attitudes and behaviour on top of the disruption already caused by the construction."

Although planning permission for Springmount Mill was granted by councillors in Stockport, the town hall said the issues are for GMP to respond to. Police were asked to check if any reports had been made about drug or alcohol use in the area, but said they had not.

Coun Caton said getting through to Carpenter Build has been difficult, and he doesn't feel enough has been done by the HSE to tackle the issues which have 'all added up'.

Despite the complaints, work at the scheme is pressing ahead, and once complete it will bring hundreds of new residents to the area. Lauded by the developer as a 'major regeneration opportunity' and advertised as luxury quality, the latest planning application for the scheme was lodged by Carpenter Investments and approved by councillors in December 2022, in a deal made sweet through a promise to invest £800,000 in local green spaces.

Before that, proposals for 175 apartments at the location were put forward in 2017 and approved, but damage to the mill stalled work. Later plans involved the complete demolition of the former structure on the site. Carpenter Investments described itself in the planning application as a 'leading national provider of excellent accommodation' and focused on the benefits the new apartments would bring to Stockport, including maintaining 'strong links with the surrounding areas, and contributing 'positively to the local community.'

It added: "Carpenter Investments follows a programme of continuous improvements in all its developments. The long term nature of the company's ownership and management structure, together with a commitment to design review based upon occupier and management feedback creates a virtuous circle of continuous improvement, which we believe ultimately results in the creation of homes that are long term 'fit for purpose' and provide excellent accommodation for our residents."