The final batch of homes on the Oakham North housing development have been approved, but a councillor living in the area claims residents have been 'forgotten about and unheard'.

It is 14 years since the larger development at Barleythorpe was agreed and at a Rutland County Council planning meeting on Tuesday (April 16) councillors signed off the final batch of 65 homes off Wheatfield Way, which include 26 assisted living units.

But councillor Tracey Carr (Ind), who lives in Barleythorpe, was scathing of the Allison Homes development, which has seen flooding and delays.

She said: "The wheels of Allison Homes turn slowly. Areas that were started 14 or 15 years ago still have not been completed and road adoption seems to get further and further away. What this means for residents is it is a free for all. Parking and driving is a daily challenge and there are many incidents of dangerous parking on corners, opposite driveways, across junctions and fully on paths. How nothing serious has happened is luck and fortune.

"Barleythorpe has been one of the largest developments in Rutland and we feel forgotten about and unheard. So before Allison Homes breaks ground please consider how 65 homes will impact on existing homes in the area."

She continued: "We would also like assurance from Allison Homes that they complete the rest of the estate to a good standard before any further work starts. If road adoption cant be completed at least make a start and have a detailed timetable and plan which is regularly reviewed.

She called on the builder to be "completely transparent with residents, with regular updates, resident engagement and any issues to be dealt with promptly and to a satisfactory standard".

Her concerns were echoed by planning committee member Ray Payne (Lib Dem) who said: "The omens are not good. People are living with these problems. I have heard a lot about this estate and the problems and I don't even live there, so I want a bit more than good intentions from the developer. I would like to see some concrete evidence and at the moment, that is lacking."

Larkfleet Homes was the original developer, but when it was bought out by a US company along with Allison Homes, Larkfleet came under the Allison Homes banner.

The last phase of the development has undergone numerous changes since outline planning was agreed. Highways, the local authority and ecology had objections to the scheme, but have now removed them after the layout was amended and drainage from the site has now been changed so it will not flow into Barleythorpe Brook. In January 2024 the site suffered bad flooding.

Cllr Carr said: "The floods occurred a stone's throw from the development. I have never seen anything quite like it. I was utterly shocked by the level and speed at which the area flooded around Stud Road. People had to be moved out. Trying to address the issue of flooding and get some help and support – you are passed from pillar to post about who is going to take responsibility."

Allison Homes planning director Georgina McCrae said the company had been investigating the course of the flood and would ensure no surface water from the new development went into the brook.

She said: "I fully understand the frustrations that have been raised tonight.

"I think there has been a lot of work over the last two years since the transition of Larkfleet to Allison Homes to address a lot of the outstanding works. I do acknowledge there are some outstanding but there have been huge strides in the last few years to get roads onto maintenance and adopted."

Rutland County Council officer Julie Smith said the authority was in daily contact with the developer and there is a huge amount of work going on.

She said: "The major hold up of the entire site has been the adoption of the sewers. We can't adopt the highways until the main sewers are adopted. But that is progressing as well, so now we can start looking at the highways."

The original plan was for retirement homes, but the company said the market had changed and the need was no longer there. Each of the new homes, which range from one bed to three bed houses, will have solar panels and car charging points.

The plans were passed with 11 votes in favour and one abstention.