Villawood construction site has turned Seacliff into a dust-bowl, residents say
Residents in Adelaide’s south can’t open their windows, dry clothes outside and have dust all over their indoor furniture, blaming a nearby construction site.
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An Adelaide father’s asthma is worsening and his neighbours say they can’t open their windows or dry their clothes outside because of dust from a construction site at Seacliff.
Barbeques, outdoor furniture and cars are being cloaked in dust, while solar panels aren’t working as well as residents battle dust they say is from the Villawood Properties’ Seacliff Village construction site.
Tony Gold, 51, said over the past 12 months his asthma had never been as bad in his life, forcing him to consult a lung specialist and undergo a new treatment costing $1800 per injection.
“I can’t 100 hundred per cent say (the asthma) is from the new development, but (the stage one excavation started) at the same time period when the issue started happening,” he said.
“Now I’ve been now put down as a severe asthmatic; I’ve never been named that before. My wife also coughs every day.
“The house is just completely caked in brown dirt. The proof is all over my house, my neighbours’ houses, and everyone else is in the area.
“All you have to do is go to the local supermarket and look at everyone’s cars. They’re all brown.”
The father of two said he lived about 250m from the Seacliff development.
After complaining to Marion Council, he received a response letter stating there was “no verifiable evidence that the dust found on your property originates from (the Villawood development) … as a result, this matter is now closed”.
A spokesman for Villawood Properties said several earthworks are taking place around Seacliff outside of Villawood’s project.
“South Australia has just undergone its driest summer in more than three decades,” he said.
“Ongoing dust issues are an unfortunate part of that big dry. Villawood is watering its own civil works as much as it possibly can. Villawood is doing its very best to rehabilitate it as swiftly as possible.”
Michelle Rump, 46, who lives two doors down from the development, said she had not been able to open her windows for the past 12 months.
“We haven’t been able to hang washing out – that disappeared a good 12 months ago,” she said.
“Even when we don’t open doors and windows, we still seem to be creating dust piles within the house.”
Another Seacliff resident living near the site, Denise Collett, said she was covering the cars in her garage to protect them from dust, while the power drawn from her solar panels was significantly reduced because they were dust-covered.
Liberal candidate for Boothby Nicolle Flint said she had spoken to “a huge number of residents impacted” by the issue in Seacliff, Seacliff Park, Marino and Kingston Park.
She said she had never felt how she did after doorknocking in these areas and the dust had genuinely affected her health.
Marion Council Mayor Kris Hanna said dust from the Villawood development has been unavoidable because of extremely dry conditions.
“The developer has three water trucks which wet down dust mounds,” he said. “The developer and our staff need to explore whether more can be done to limit the impact on nearby residents.”
Labor MP for Boothby Louise Miller-Frost has been contacted for comment.
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Originally published as Villawood construction site has turned Seacliff into a dust-bowl, residents say
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