Building a housing estate - how long and what process?

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Hi all - I'm hoping that someone with knowledge of large scale housing estate building projects will be able to help answer my questions.

The field oppsite from the back of my house got planning permission about four years ago to build approx 100 houses. They finally started ground works last March (2024) and spent eleven months moving earth around. The constant beeping of reversing trucks and diggers from 7:30am to gone 5pm every night (7:30am-4pm in the winter) has been dreadful. We and our neighbours joked that it was basically a training site for diggers because they would literally just be moving huge piles of earth about. (Perhaps the fact that it is a field that regularly flooded had something to do with it...)

Anyway, they finally started actually building some houses last month. Since then there has been some progress but what is currently doing my head in is the days on end of driving massive poles into the ground. The constant thumping as each pole is driven in is so disruptive. I work from home part of the week and have to sit with large ANC headphones on to cut it out but even then I can hear it.

Anyway, I suppose my questions are:

1. Do they have to do x number of poles per house that is being built?
2. Approx how long will this stage last?
3. Approx how long will it be for the whole site to be finished (assuming the developer doesn't go bust etc etc)?
4. What will the next stages be and is anything else likely to be just as disruptive/loud?

I sort of feel like if they developers/builders had told us all this in advance our expectations could have been managed. But after a year of groundworks before they even started building, my patience is running pretty thin. I can't wait until their big launch weekend as I'm going to go in and tell them how awful this has been.

Anyway, thanks in advance for any replies

It sounds as though the piling is because standard foundations are not appropriate because of the flooding issue.
In my role (valuing housing developments), we would assume that once the "abnormals" are done (the big groundwork you describe), the build period will be broadly in line with the rate at which the houses can be sold. Some of the houses will be affordable housing (25%-50% depending on where you are in the country), so those would all be sold by the developer to an affordable housing provider. That leaves say 50-75 market houses to be sold at around 3 - 4 per month, so 12 months-2 years of construction. But it depends on the developer and the market! It could be faster or slower depending how strong the market is.

They are driving piles into the ground to provide something solid for the houses to built on. Without knowing what the ground conditions are like, it is impossible for someone on the internet to know how many they will be using or how ling it is going to take.

Can you go to the site office and ask to look at their programme?

I work in construction and have lived next to a building site where they built a huge housing estate.

The beeping is relentless - could be 2 years of this.

The next most annoying sound is scaffolding. And cutting of concrete. 2-3 years. Depending on who is the builder?

Get to know the site manager. Don’t turn nasty if someone is causing a nuisance. I know it’s stressful, I have been there in lockdown! We once had an issue with a drunk scaffolder who was up high and chanting “Liverpool Liverpool Liverpool” - and many swear words. And then he did a pee against the new house they were building. It was so grim.

Site Manager said this guy was a contractor and apologised. It was dealt with straight away ☺️

You may also hear / see a lot of road sweepers milling about keeping dust to a minimum especially on a hot sunny day.

If it’s one of the bigger companies, get in touch with the nearest regional office for more information. Likewise, even a local builder will have an office somewhere with plans/time scales.

There should be a foreman or site manager on the site who might be helpful too. “Public relations” and all that. Wander down or drive to the site gates and try to get hold of a name and contact details. In my experience, builders are usually friendly enough.

If it’s a low carbon estate you may also hear drilling for district heating or ground source heating.

Have a good look at the planning documents online. Google your local council and add “planning portal” and it should come up with a free site. Type in the post code and it ought to come up!

Email your local councillor, they should be getting updates on the build or at least have a contact who is responsible for dealing with any queries from the community

Thanks all - this is really helpful. I have been meaning to post a thread for months because I knew you lovely MNers would help.

I haven't gone down onto the site to find anyone because I don't want to be cross and NIMBYish but I'm not sure I'd be able to keep it friendly.

I did have a planning contact at the council when I complained about the beeping starting at 7:15am every morning. It got later to 8am for a few weeks but then has setlled to 7:30am so I haven't bothered to follow up.

@PashaMinaMio I'll contact the company, it's a fairly large regional company so will ask about timescales.

Thank you all - this really is helpful. And hopefully there will be no loud Liverpool contractors as we are a Man Utd-supporting household!

I moved into a new build estate of just under 100 houses in 2015.
When I moved in only about 20 houses had been built.
It took about 2 and a half years from when I moved in until it had been completely finished.
So 2 and a half years to build just under 80 houses.
It was pretty bad those first couple of years but we knew it was only temporary.
We lived right in the middle of the building works and wasn't kept in the loop at all.
So we had no idea how long things would take.
Just one day the builders stopped turning up

I’m on a new estate (think it’ll be about 175 properties in total). We were among the first to move in 18 months or so, but don’t think the estate half built yet! But as the building work has gotten further away the noise is definitely less of an issue.

I know the neighbouring estate had done individuals who contacted the council every single time noise started even a few minutes early, so on the whole the site manager sticks to the agreed times. If it bothers you in the mornings you just need to keep complaining. The site team won’t know it’s you.

We were the second phase of a six phase development. Planning was obtained when John Prescott was responsible for approving developments. Building started in 2010, we reserved at the end of 2013, moved in Q3 2014 and the whole thing was finished in 2022. 500 houses over a large area.

The beeping, drilling, banging is annoying and diggers going up and down with a banksman was tedious. We got used to it and it got further away as time went on. The only time I complained to the site office was when the roofers building opposite were shouting, swearing and playing the radio very loudly. They stopped immediately though, after that.

Thank again everyone. Sorry, work and life got in the way of replying. @mummymummymummummum I suppose I’ve got used to the noise starting at 7:30am now and as the mornings have got lighter it isn’t quite as horrendous. They can’t do much about the beeping and pole driving though :(

The piling is the worst! The whole house shakes throughout the day 😫 I work from home, so had endure it.

They've been building a new estate on fields near us for 3 years and they aren't finished with a predicted 2 more years to go.... The dust is the most annoying thing at the moment. The builders have also been a nightmare - they built an access road and instead of parking their cars and vans on it they parked on the main road and existing residential side roads, blocking access and generally making it dangerous (having to get out of junctions on the wrong side of the road without being able to see round the vans parked in both directions!) Residents asked the company to show a little respect when parking but were ignored so last year the council painted double yellow lines to stop the parking issues but you still see their vans blocking peoples driveways.....

Oh @SleepingisanArt that is rubbish :( We live near a university so the roads are usually clogged up with students anyway but the builders at least are all parking on site for now...