RESIDENTS living by the UK’s first Ikea homes claim they’re an eyesore full of rats and look nothing like the plans.
The development in Bristol, known as BoKlok on the Brook, became the first of its kind to be built outside of Scandinavia in 2020.
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But construction of the houses, to the south of the city on the busy A4174, was hit by delays and the first homeowners didn’t move in until May last year.
Building work appears to still be ongoing at the site, though the homes – usually delivered in two parts – now seem to be in place.
But those living in homes which overlook the “blocks” say their lives have suffered as a result of the project and have complained to their local MP.
Retiree Frederick Truckle, 71, lives in nearby Alard Road.
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He said: “I keep my hedges up because they can see in my garden – it’s disgusting.
“Without that I’d be looking in their windows all the time, and they’d be looking into mine. It’s terrible. It’s an eyesore.”
Jackie Bowey, a 61-year-old supermarket worker who lives on the same road, added: “I saw the plans at the BoKlok office in 2021 and they were totally different.
“When they said they were building them, the plans showed that the houses wouldn’t be facing us – that it would be brick.
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“So when they started building I contacted them and said it’s not on because you said they wouldn’t be facing us.
“They said there’s nothing we can do about it now. I got onto Karin Smyth and Chris Jackson.
“I said I think it’s disgusting that [the development is] overlooking my garden.”
Jackie claims a BloKlok team member came to visit her house after she complained.
But the employee refused her requests for a higher fence on the basis they would require more planning permission.
Jackie said: “This is my family home and they just don’t care what you say. The value of my home could be affected because of this.”
The busy A4174 runs to the south of the Bristol and is on the outskirts of Knowle West – one of the city’s more deprived areas.
Residents around BoKlok on the Brook have also complained of noise pollution, dust and an increase of rats.
Mark, 57, a neighbour to the development, said: “We’ve got [vermin] traps down the alleyway.
“We had a bit of a problem with rats before but it got really bad when they started work.”
The Ikea homes were built in partnership with construction firm Skanska.
After building work was delayed, developers had to put people who had paid chunky deposits into Airbnbs while they waited for the work to be finished, local reports said.
Complaints were then made about vandals getting in to the empty site by breaking through fencing.
One man posted on Facebook about the lack of security.
He wrote: “BoKlok UK again no security around the site at boklok on the brook this is happening all the time now, the site is a magnet for [kids] getting in, to make matters worse this has been closed for nearly two weeks and NOTHING has been done.”
BoKlok UK replied online, saying: “We are aware of the issue and the recurring vandalism.
“Our site teams are regularly checking and repairing the fencing.
“We have installed additional security on site but unfortunately, this has not totally mitigated the problem.
“We have been in touch with Avon & Somerset Police, who will be sending out an officer.”
A BoKlok spokesperson said: “All homes at BoKlok on the Brook have been delivered as per our planning consent.
“We appreciate that a housing scheme still under development from time to time may cause inconvenience for existing residents and neighbours, however we are working with third-party contractors to complete all works required for the benefit of all residents as well as those who are moving in during the final build phase.
“Our aftercare team is committed to supporting our customers and have rectified snagging defects within the reporting times allocation.
“If there are any customers who have a specific concern, which they do not feel has been sufficiently addressed, we would always urge them to contact our customer care team direct – whose details have been provided.”
Ikea has been contacted for comment.
My newbuild home has issues – what are my rights?
According to Which?, newbuild homes have a 10-year warranty that comes with the purchase.
The first two years covers structural issues and minor defects, which then becomes replaced by an insurance-backed warranty.
This again covers structural issues, but does not include minor defects.
If you have a problem with your developer and need to escalate a complaint, you’ll first need to go through its formal complaints process.
You can check if your developer is signed up to a code of standards.
Regarding fence height, the standard in the UK for a back garden is two metres.
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