St Austell woman says year-long roadworks outside her home have been a 'nightmare'

A woman has told how she is living in a nightmare due to roadworks which have been taking place outside her home for more than a year.

Helen Jamson lives in Hill Park Crescent in St Austell right next to the A390 road to Truro where major roadworks have been carried out for more than a year to install a new roundabout.

The works are to provide a new junction and access to a planned Wainhomes development at Trewhiddle.

However Mrs Jamson, who says she is unwell, says that she has had to endure unacceptable noise for months on end.

She says that work has now also started to take place at night and says she was given just a few days’ notice of the change. Due to the coronavirus lockdown she says she is unable to move somewhere else while the works take place.

Mrs Jamson says that when she asked Cornwall Council and Cormac to help her she was advised that she should keep her doors and windows closed and use earplugs at night if necessary.

She believes that the council and Cormac should have given more notice of the nightworking and helped relocate her during the works.

“When am I supposed to get any rest? They are working at night and then during the day. I can hear the noise and feel the vibrations in every room of my house. It is a nightmare.

“I can hear the noise above the TV at times, they say there has only been an increase of three decibels, that is not three decibels.

“Sometimes if you are having a conversation you have to stop due to the level of noise coming from there.

“My back garden is now redundant, my house is unfit for purpose for me now.”

She added: “I have got ill health, they have refused to move me or relocate me while the work is going on.

“I asked them what they would do about the noise and they just told me to keep my windows and doors shut, keep my blinds closed and use earplugs at night.

“I can’t sleep in my main bedroom anymore because the noise is so loud.”

Mrs Jamson said she received a letter on November 3rd to inform her that night working would start on the site on Monday, November 9th and could take place between 7pm and 6am.

She said: “I had previously asked them to give me plenty of notice so I could make arrangements – a few days is not enough.

“We are in lockdown now so I can’t go anywhere even if I wanted to.

“I am so exhausted by all of this, it is making me unwell, it is ridiculous.”

The works started on the road in October last year and are marked on the Cormac website as being expected to be completed in April 2021.

Responding to Mrs Jamson’s claims Cormac said: “At Cormac, we take complaints about our work very seriously and we are sorry that these matters have been raised by a resident. We are responsible for the construction of the road as the main contractor appointed by Cornwall Council and we work closely with the Council’s Environmental Health team to mitigate any disruption caused by our works.

“We have been working hard to conclude the works at Hill Park Crescent with an established noise management plan in place. Under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and to ensure the safety of all road users whilst maintaining daytime traffic flow, the road surfacing works were required to be carried out during the night. We followed our usual commitment to engage with residents in the vicinity of our works, and advance notice was given to explain what to expect and who to get in touch with should anyone in the neighbourhood have any questions.

“We do understand that with current Covid-19 restrictions in place that it may be difficult for residents to make alternative overnight arrangements, however for the safety of all road users, it is sometimes a necessary requirement that we work at night, which we try and keep to a minimum.”

Cormac