Residents' Peace Shattered by Construction Chaos

Residents on The Evergreens estate at Beaufort Park say their dream of living next to a forest has become a "nightmare" after builders moved in next door.

Neighbours say workers building 226 homes on the adjacent site have been starting early and working late, leaving people five to 10 metres away coping with heavy machinery, constant noise and dust.

"It is very loud, it is really noisy," the resident told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. "It's difficult to work from home and get work done because of the constant noise and disruption. It is also very dusty and unpleasant."

Planning permission allows work between 7.30am and 6pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays, but residents say work has happened outside those hours. Video taken earlier this month appears to show activity into the evening, and one homeowner says work carried on until about 8.40pm on Tuesday 29 September.

Residents describe vibrations, dust and a changed landscape. "It was supposed to be beautiful. You were supposed to be living in this beautiful forest, and now it's just turned into a nightmare."

They say the estate is home to young families and people working in healthcare, the armed forces and education. "So we're just treated like we don't exist," she claimed. "It just feels like you're just not taken into account at all."

The resident says she complained to Bracknell Forest Council and initially did not get a response. The council confirmed it is investigating an allegation of a breach of working hours at the Beaufort Park site and said its planning enforcement team is looking into the complaint.

A Hill Group spokesperson said the company was "in ongoing communication with residents regarding their concerns", that it was working in line with its approved Construction Environmental Management Plan and that the council's enforcement officer makes regular visits. The developer said it had received "positive feedback" after those visits and had increased dust suppression amid extreme summer weather.

Katie French, Local Democracy Reporter