Residents complain of 'never-ending saga' as green spaces left to grow 'knee deep'

Residents in a growing part of Inverness have complained of living in a “never-ending saga” of poor maintenance as they say surrounding green spaces are still being left to grow “knee deep”.

Last year it was reported Milton of Leys was in a “jungle”-like state with shared green spaces not being maintained.

Now, just over a year later, residents say nothing has changed.

The situation is caused by “uncertainty over responsibility”, according to Allan Hunter, chairman of the Milton of Leys Residents Association (MOLRA).

When the housing estate was built, developer Tulloch Homes created the title deeds for the houses it erected which, Mr Hunter said, included provision for maintenance of shared green spaces.

A maintenance company called Greenbelt, he said, was appointed by Tulloch to carry out the work, which it did from 1998 until 2020.

A different company, James Gibb, then took over but, Mr Hunter said, ceased operations in the area in 2024 due to a “lack of payment” from residents.

Since 2024, Milton of Leys has had no dedicated maintenance team for communal green spaces and several other developers have also built homes in the Milton of Leys area.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said they now had to pay for their own private factor.

“If I didn’t do this it would end up knee deep – grass full of dog poo,” they said.

“Green spaces in MOL are now largely unusable.”

They said some residents “won’t pay or can’t be contacted” on factoring, with a number of homes in the area now operating as short-term lets, without a live-in owner.

Tulloch Homes, they said, are “washing their hands of it”, with shared areas relying on the “good will” of residents, for maintenance.

Mr Hunter said he has been trying to establish a solution with Highland Council and Tulloch Homes but that progress has been “limited” as, he said, Tulloch is “no longer willing to engage in discussions” with MOLRA after he raised concerns about a proposed solution.

He said the developer proposed a “resident-led solution” but Mr Hunter wanted residents to have “sufficient information” before committing to any new agreements and the proposal ultimately folded.

He added: “The residents association is not seeking conflict with any organisation. Our objective is simply to establish a clear, transparent and legally robust solution that gives residents certainty over who is responsible for maintaining these areas in the future.

“Many residents have already contributed significant amounts of money over the years towards the maintenance of these spaces, while others continue to volunteer their own time to prevent parts of the estate from becoming neglected.

“The willingness of residents to care for their community has been admirable, but goodwill alone cannot be relied upon as a long-term solution.”

In a letter addressed to the Courier, another solution has been proposed by a local resident.

They have suggested the developer hands over the land to the council, who would then charge a small factoring fee via the council tax system, adding it would end the “never-ending saga of people refusing to pay and factoring companies walking away”.

A spokesperson for Highland Council said: “Residents have an agreement for factoring with private companies – It would be up to residents to seek an alternative provider, which would be a private matter for them.”

In response to the claims made by residents, Kieran Graham, managing director at Tulloch Homes, explained the company is one of “several” housebuilders who have completed projects in the area, and insisted responsibility for maintaining green spaces “does not rest with us”.

He added the “recent deterioration” of the area shows the benefits of having a factor in place – “unfortunately, local households are now experiencing the consequences of being encouraged not to pay for maintenance services”.

The company believes the majority of residents would like to see a paid-for service reintroduced and would be happy to “support” the community to establish new arrangements.

Mr Graham added: “It has therefore been disappointing to see recent efforts to move matters forward blocked by a small group.

“If households want maintenance services they will need to pay for them, and any long-term solution must therefore be community-led.

“We will continue to volunteer our support to the community council because we care about the area, and we would encourage residents who are keen to find a solution to voice their support through them.”