Residents say their lives are being made a misery by the “constant” noise, dust and damage caused by the ongoing construction of a large housing development.
Families say works to build hundreds of new homes at the Capstone Oaks development off North Dane Way in Lordswood, Chatham have caused relentless disruption since late April.
From left to right: Elizabeth Migsom, Keith Greenfield, Marie Hutchinson and Tia Quarrington believe works at Capstone Oaks are causing the issues at their properties
They claim their homes in neighbouring Hampshire Close and Barleymow Close are shaking, surfaces are being blanketed in brick dust and cracks are now appearing inside properties.
Marie Hutchinson, who lives in Hampshire Close, said the noise begins early and continues throughout the day.
“They start around 7am and it goes on until 6pm,” she told KentOnline.
“The whole house vibrates. Things bang, things fall, and people have cracks appearing in their homes.
The dust, she added, is constant.
All the cars are covered in dust in Hampshire Close, LordswoodA garden table found covered in dust after a resident went on holiday for a week
“I have to wash my kitchen floor and wipe all my surfaces every morning because it’s covered,” she added.
“It’s brick dust, you can smell it. You can’t open the windows, you can’t sit in the garden, you can’t hang washing out. Even the grass is grey.”
She added: “We have to constantly wipe surfaces and clean our cars, and it all costs money.”
Marie believes the developers — Taylor Wimpey and the Vistry Group — should be doing more to protect residents.
“These big companies should put proper protections in place, like protective netting or water sprinklers,” she added.
“They have millions, and we’re the ones paying for it.”
Marie Hutchinson believes the Capstone Oaks building work is to blame for the dust, vibration and damage to nearby homes
A spokesperson for the consortium said all work is being carried out in accordance with an approved Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP), and “appropriate measures” are in place to mitigate disruption.
This includes three water bowsers in place to mitigate dust.
They also said they will continue to monitor the situation and maintain regular contact with Medway Council as works continue.
Meanwhile, Marie’s neighbour Keith Greenfield said the impact is “really bad” for his wife, who suffers with asthma.
“My wife can’t sleep with the window closed, but now she can’t open it because of the dust,” he explained.
“She cleans everything every day and the dust still comes back.”
Complaints have been raised but so far residents say no action has been taken.
Tia Quarrington, also living in Hampshire Close, said environmental protection officers attended the nearby building site but were unable to act.
Capstone Oaks building work is being blamed for dust, vibration and damage to nearby homes
“They said that if there isn’t visible dust in the air at the time, they can’t take immediate action and can only advise monitoring and gathering evidence,” she said.
“We can collect evidence, but for how long? We have to live in these conditions and it’s not healthy for us.”
Residents say the problem is not limited to dust either.
Keith Thompson provided a video showing plates shaking inside his home due to the vibration.
And other homeowners say the constant movement is now causing damage inside their properties too.
Eugenia Marques, from nearby Barleymow Close, said her home had never experienced problems before.
“I refurbished the house a few years ago and nothing was wrong, and now cracks are appearing in the walls,” she said.
“They’re building new houses, but they’re destroying ours.”
She said the situation is also affecting her pets.
Eugenia Marques, of Barleymow Close, said her home had never experienced problems before this
“I have two dogs and they usually stay outside, but I can’t keep them there now,” she added.
“Their beds are covered in dust and their water gets dirty very quickly.
“I can’t let them drink that. I won’t give my dogs water with construction dust in it.”
Elizabeth Migsom has also reported damage inside her home.
“I only decorated recently and now it looks awful again. I have to repair it, and that costs money,” she said.
Cathy Write, of Hampshire Close, says residents are spending hours every day cleaningAll the cars in Hampshire Close are covered in dust
Cathy Write took exception to the costs involved, especially in the current economic climate.
“We’re using more electricity, more water, spending hours cleaning every day,” she said.
“Every penny counts at the moment and we’re being forced to spend more.”
The current building project forms part of the wider East Hill development on land off North Dane Way.
Plans for the site allow for up to 800 homes, alongside a new primary school, retail space, open areas and a link road connecting the main road with Capstone Road.
Developers secured outline planning permission on appeal after Medway Council initially refused the scheme, before submitting detailed applications for individual phases.
Drone images reveal the scale of construction at Capstone Oaks in Lordswood. Photo: Lee Day
The first phase, known as Capstone Oaks, includes 91 homes.
The scheme features a mix of two to five-bedroom properties, with 25% allocated as affordable housing.
Developers began work on this phase in late 2024, and construction is now underway.
Taylor Wimpey and Vistry Group, which operates locally under the Bovis Homes brand, are delivering the wider development in multiple phases.
Further approvals granted in November 2025 allow hundreds more homes to be built as the site expands.
As part of the planning agreement, the developers must contribute towards local infrastructure, including schools, transport and community facilities, as well as provide new public open space and play areas.
The site lies next to Capstone Farm Country Park and was previously used as agricultural land before construction began.
Chatham and Aylesford MP Tris Osborne has raised concerns
Tristan Osborne, MP for Chatham and Aylesford, said he visited the site last week following a surge in complaints from residents.
“This development was given planning permission on appeal in 2022 and pre-dates my period as MP; but as MP I am concerned about ongoing issues on the current site,” he said.
“I have written to Medway Council requesting a meeting with the developer; and the developer themselves seeking to understand their mitigations for the site.
Planning permission documents for the development require measures to be put in place to control dust, noise and disruption during construction, usually through a construction environmental management plan agreed with Medway Council.
This is expected to include steps such as dust suppression and site management to limit the impact on nearby homes.
It’s understood a representative of the council visited the site on April 14 and confirmed that they were satisfied with the measures that are in place.
But residents say those measures are not being properly implemented.
Mr Osborne says he has requested council enforcement occurs around the site should appropriate mitigations be found not to have been undertaken.
He added: “My residents deserve better than constant noise, dust and inconvenience from this site and high standards are not just an expectation, they are a requirement.”
Cllr Robbie Lammas visited homes in the area to see the issues for himself
Cllr Robbie Lammas, deputy leader of the Reform UK Group on Medway Council, also visited the area to see the situation for himself.
“I saw the dust, I saw damage in some of the homes, and I could feel the vibrations while standing inside the properties,” he said.
“There is also video showing plates shaking inside a property. I don’t think it is normal or acceptable for kitchen plates to be shaking in people’s homes.”
He has since penned a letter to Taylor Wimpey calling on the developer to respond to residents’ concerns.
Mr Lammas said he had also raised this with Medway Council who he says are aware of complaints and have installed monitoring equipment to assess whether vibration levels are exceeding acceptable limits.
Keith Thompson, who lives in Barleymow Close, said the constant movement has left him worried about the condition of his home.
“I took a video of plates in a cabinet shaking,” he said. “The whole cabinet was moving as well.”
He said the vibrations could be felt throughout the house.
“When I was in the bath, the water was rippling,” he added.
A spokesperson for the consortium behind the building work said: “We understand that our ongoing work at East Hill, Chatham has raised concerns among some local residents, and we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused.
“We would like to assure the community that all work is being carried out in accordance with an approved CEMP, and that appropriate measures are in place to mitigate disruption.
“We are in regular contact with Medway Council about our work on site and the situation will continue to be closely monitored as works progress.”