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Langford bylaw addressing complaints of construction debris, garbage along roadway

Development near Walfred Road has been ongoing for 10 years
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Garbage from the development on Walfred Road and Myles Mansell Drive in Langford has become entangled with green space along the road. (Shalu Mehta/News staff)

Langford bylaw officers are working with builders after hearing complaints about garbage and debris littering the frontage near Walfred Road.

Heather Reid has been a resident in the 900-block of Walfred Road for 39 years and has seen the area change as new developments have been built.

She frequently goes for walks in her neighbourhood with her husband, Murray Press, and noticed construction sites in the area are not being kept tidy and loose material is making its way towards the road.

On Monday, Jan. 7, Reid and her husband took to writing a letter to the City about this issue.

“This increasing accumulation of garbage mars the landscape and is an ongoing eyesore for the residents in the neighbourhood who walk and drive past this building site,” the letter reads.

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Piles of coffee cups, scraps of wood and loose plastic sheets and bags can be seen from the roadway near the corner of Walfred Road and Myles Mansell Drive. Many of the loose items can also be seen tangled in between trees and greenspace along the road.

Development in the area has been ongoing for 10 years, according to Reid, and has caused residents to complain about noise, vehicle traffic and now, garbage.

“The residents in the neighbourhood of Walfred Road have endured a lengthy 10-year period of unpleasant noise from forest and soil clearing, rock drilling, blasting and rock crushing in addition to dust and increased industrial vehicle traffic,” the letter reads.

Another resident who lives in the area, Janis Kraft, agreed developments have been a nuisance.

Kraft said she has had to clear gravel and sand out of her perimeter drains because the streets aren’t being cleaned by construction crews. She has even found debris such as plastic from the sites in her backyard.

READ MORE: Langford residents keep their yards pretty tidy

At times, Kraft said, it could get so noisy she wouldn’t be able to hear the person she is speaking to when standing outside.

Kraft has been living in the neighbourhood since 1995 and said she initially moved to the area because it was peaceful. She said she understands that more housing needs to be built, but is unhappy with the nuisances caused by the developments.

“I’m just wondering, when does it end?” Kraft said.

Kraft is also concerned about how the City will accommodate more residents when it comes to infrastructure needs such as schools or more parking space.

“It’s a catch 22, we’re always behind the eightball,” Kraft said.

Lorne Fletcher, manager of community safety and municipal enforcement with the City of Langford, said an issue like this won’t be brought to council because a bylaw — the unsightly premises bylaw — can already address it.

He noted the bylaw department has already opened a file on this problem.

“We’ll be working with the builders on those sites … and we’ll be taking steps to manage that,” Fletcher said.

shalu.mehta@goldstreamgazette.com


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