Family who bought dream home now fear kids could be 'killed' in their own back garden
A family who recently moved into their dream home now worry that their kids might be 'killed' in their back garden.
The couple have admitted that they're now fearful of spending any time in their garden as they think that their kids might be killed.
Before your mind jumps though, it's nothing to do with anything crime related, nor is it because of shoddy landscaping work, as it turns out that the home is an incredibly undesired location.
Rebecca Dixon, 29 and husband Alex, 32, are residents of a new build estate that only discovered upon moving in that they have some noisy and quite frankly, annoying neighbours.
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The home in Callerton, Newcastle is a two-bedroom semi-detached house that was bought for £134,000 in November 2022, with the family making the move in August 2023.
The Dixons are parents to Lily, four, and Alfie, 12 weeks, and claim that they were not informed by developers that their family home would be next to the Westerhope Golf Club.
They say that they now cannot use their back garden as, despite the tall fence in between them and the course, golf balls frequently land on their premises at high speeds.
Speaking about the dangers of being near the golf club, Rebecca shared: "The golf balls were coming over from day dot. We have had numerous golf balls in my garden. I have nearly been hit by a golf ball and my next door neighbour has had golf balls in her garden.
"I have got a four-year-old daughter and a 12-week-old boy," she added. "If they got hit by a golf ball they would get killed. It's not just a broken leg, they are going to get seriously hurt. We can't use our garden - I have to go out to a play park."
The Brit claimed that a golf ball had also smashed the window of a car across the street.
The customer support worker claims that they were told that the house would be far enough away from the course to avoid this issue, while still having the view of the golf course.
"We got told there would be no properties behind us and we would have a nice private garden," the mother-of-two further explained. "We never saw the property until the day we exchanged the keys and by that time it was too late."
The neighbour that Rebecca mentioned is Lyn Stott, 65 - who moved into a similar property next door for £200,000 in 2023 - has also shared her disastrous experience while living next to the club.
Stott, who works as a responder, shared: "I have had three golf balls in my garden since the netting has gone up. I was ironing the other day I had my patio doors open. I heard this massive bang and a golf ball hit my wall. If it had been a foot further along it would have come through and hit me!"
The grandmother also shared that she had her garden done for £4,000 and neither her or her grandkids can spend any time in it due to safety, which has left her 'raging', as upon moving in, she was unaware of how close she would be to the course, and that a net would be built, as it hadn't been at the time.
Stott claimed that Bellway, the developers of the estate, told her to contact Newcastle City Council, while the council said it should be dealt with by the housebuilders.
When contacted, a spokesperson for Bellway told the Newcastle Chronicle: "Bellway has not received any previous complaints related to golf balls landing in homeowner's gardens or the location of properties in relation to the golf course.
"The 12-meter-high golf netting was a key requirement of our planning conditions, as it is designed to prevent balls from putting homeowners at risk, and it has been installed by a company who specialises in installing netting of this type.
"Due to poor weather and issues with the supply and installation of the netting, it was installed after residents moved into the properties but has now been fully completed earlier in the summer. However, considering the issues being highlighted to us, we are organising an inspection from the specialist firm to ensure the netting is working as designed.
"As part of our regulated sales procedures, customers are given detailed information of a plot's location and any information relevant to the sale such as being adjacent to a golf course. This is clearly highlighted in site plans and other key information provided to our customers at the point of reservation.
"In addition, during the conveyancing process, solicitors would provide any relevant information to customers about their property, its location and any other relevant information."
The statement continued: "Prior to legal completion, customers are also given the opportunity to visit their new home to undertake home demonstrations, and again, in this instance, no complaints have been received in relation to the location of the homes at the time of those visits or subsequently."
A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council also said: "A planning condition requiring Bellway to prevent golf balls from hitting properties was put in place before any homes were sold.
"This required the installation of a net which was not in place before homes became occupied. The council took enforcement action against Bellway and the net has now been installed.
"We are unable to comment on what information Bellway gave to residents about this matter."
Joshua Nair