Man angry as demolished wall covers his Bradford driveway

A Yorkshire wall which divides two homes on Rooley Crescent was knocked down as part of the building work for 133 homes on a field to the south of Rooley Crescent, near the M606, which was approved by Bradford Council, despite a huge amount of opposition from residents of the area.

Saqib Shah, who lives in a property affected by the wall demolition work, hit out at the move, which he captured on his home CCTV.

He said it was lucky no-one was in the driveway at the time the demolition work went ahead, just after 9am on November 30.

But the firm in charge of the construction of the development, Vistry Partnerships, said some rubble was temporarily placed on neighbouring land during the demolition work.

Vistry Partnerships added it was removed within 30 minutes of the wall being knocked down and the land was reinstated to its previous condition.

Mr Shah said: “I’m gobsmacked.

“It could have seen a serious life or limb situation.

“It is absolutely disgraceful and shameful. It was hugely dangerous that the wall has been taken down on our side.”

An image from CCTV footage of a stone wall being demolished onto a resident's driveway (Image: Newsquest)

Councillor Sarah Ferriby (Lab, Wyke) hit out at the wall demolition work, adding she has contacted Bradford Council officials about it.

The local authority added a building control officer had gone out to assess the damage of what they branded a ‘problematic demolition’.

Cllr Ferriby said: “It’s shocking. I think it’s unacceptable the way they have gone about this.

“It is unbelievable that it has been taken down in the manner that it has been demolished.

“There was no thought for the neighbours. They have just gone ahead and carried out the work to demolish this wall.

“You think they would have spoken to the residents and realised that the wall is so close to their driveway and their property and their side door.”

Andrew Poyner, managing director of Vistry Partnerships Yorkshire, says an amount of stone has been left with the neighbour after the demolition work.

He said: “Vistry Partnerships are appointed as main contractor in relation to the development of 133 homes at Rooley Crescent, Bradford.

“As part of the development, minor demolition works are being carried out to structures within the development boundary, including a wall which adjoins a neighbouring property.

“All demolition works are approved by and carried out in accordance with the requisite approvals and notices as are required under section 80 of the Building Act 1984.

A piece of wooden has been temporarily placed where the now demolished wall once was (Image: Newsquest)

“The works were carried out under strict site supervision and in accordance with pre-approved risk assessments and method statements.

“As part of any demolition works, debris can sometimes spread wider than anticipated and in this instance some rubble was temporarily placed on neighbouring land – such debris was removed within 30 minutes and the land was reinstated to its previous condition.

“As requested by the neighbour, Vistry Partnerships left an amount of stone with the neighbour, who wanted to use it for their own purposes.

“Notwithstanding the fact that the wall formed part of the development, Vistry Partnerships had already agreed with the neighbouring land owner (prior to the demolition) that as a gesture of goodwill (and so as to maintain neighbourly relations) Vistry Partnerships would erect (at their own cost) a timber fence where the wall used to be, together with an offer of constructing a separate stone located to the front of the fence.

“This demonstrates Vistry Partnerships’ continuing commitment to the communities and neighbourhoods within which they work.”

Originally an application for the site was refused by the Council's Regulatory and Appeals Committee in 2020, with members highlighting the fact that the site was a minimum of 400 metres away from the nearest bus stop, raising concerns over possible land contamination and claiming the nearby road network was not adequate to cope with extra traffic.

A Bradford Council spokesman said: “We are aware of a problematic demolition near Rooley Cresent and a building control officer has been sent to the location.

“Our first priority is safety and we don’t believe the works are dangerous.

“Once the assessment is complete we will consider our options and take appropriate action.”