Health Fears Rise as Construction Dust Envelops Kent Neighborhood

Residents living near a housing development at Ufton Court Farm outside Tunstall say they fear for their health after large clouds of construction dust blew over their properties.

Developer Taylor Wimpey is currently building 300 homes on the site, a scheme that drew more than 200 objections when it went before planners in 2024. Several nearby residents, including pensioners and vulnerable adults, say they have been forced to keep windows shut to keep the dust out.

Pam Hirons, 82, who lives with a long-term lung condition and whose home backs directly onto the construction site, described the ongoing noise and dust as unbearable. She said she has barely been able to use her garden since work began.

Residents are legally protected against construction dust that becomes a public nuisance or health hazard under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Taylor Wimpey has a Construction Environmental Management Plan in place for the site.

Despite that plan, neighbours say a thin layer of dust regularly settles across cars, solar panels and signage in the surrounding area. Trish Edy, 63, said the developer's response to damage complaints was to direct residents toward their own home insurance rather than address the issue directly.

Her husband, John Edy, said contacting the council prompted Taylor Wimpey to bring in bowsers and water cannons to dampen the site, though he said the equipment is rarely used.

Swale Borough Council and Mid Kent Environmental Health jointly monitor the site and can take formal enforcement action if dust levels are not being adequately controlled. The council said it has taken the complaints seriously and has worked extensively to address concerns raised by residents.

The council acknowledged that some dust generation is difficult to avoid on a large, active construction site, particularly during the exceptionally dry conditions experienced across the country this summer.

A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said the company recognised residents' concerns about dust during the recent hot, dry weather and apologised for the disruption caused. The spokesperson said appropriate measures remain in place to limit disruption and that the company would continue monitoring the site as construction continues.

The dispute adds to a wider pattern of tension between developers and residents near large UK housing schemes, where dust, noise and traffic disruption during construction phases have increasingly drawn formal complaints and council intervention.