I returned to £1 housing estate and found the honeymoon period was over as 'cracks' begin to show

The Marches is built near the site of a crashed Lancaster bomber, and 100 homes on the estate were sold as part of a pioneering help-to-buy scheme helping people to get on the property ladder

It's a pioneering housing estate that allows residents to purchase their homes for just £1 - but how are they faring now the dust has settled? The first residents moved into The Marches development in Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, back in 2021, and now work has finally finished.

Located off Lakefield Road, the £34-million estate comprises of 266 homes - 100 of which were sold under a help-to-buy scheme allowing residents to purchase them for £1 after renting for 25 years. The homes, which are terraced and semi-detached, vary in size from two to three and four bedrooms, and vary in height from two to three storeys.

They are eye-catching in design, with red bricks that are complimented with dark blue roof tiles, window panes, doors, garages and balconies. Along Lancaster Drive, a street that forms the spine of the development, there's verges with trees, plants and flowers adding a slice of greenery to the estate.

READ MORE: Inside leafy Midlands village mistaken for 'Devon' which footballers call home

Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp, click the link to join

The £1 scheme ensured that more than 41 per cent of help-to-buy residents were key workers, aiming to support those in the most difficult, frontline jobs. And the estate itself was built near the site of a Lancaster bomber plane crash in 1945, with the seven airmen who lost their lives commemorated with a street being named after them.

It's easy to see why the project has made headlines in recent years. Like any new-build estate, not everything will be perfect and there will be teething problems along the way. When BlackCountryLive paid a visit in September, there were some residents who were still loving their purchase - but for others it appeared the honeymoon period was over.

A 41-year-old woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said there were 'cracks' in her house and she and fellow neighbours had been 'fobbed off'. Alongside this, an annual maintenance fee which residents are 'forced to pay' has up by gone hundreds of pounds - all the while residents have been told they must carry out some of the work themselves, she claimed.

"It's not really good," she said. "We bought our house on a mortgage - but we said we wouldn't buy a property again after this. When we were given the keys, we were told we'd be seen in 12 months time for a check-up to see if there were any problems. If there was, we'd be given an appointment. Since then, there's been no appointment in nearly three years, we've been left in the lurch.

"The work that needs doing in the house hasn't been done. A lot of people on the estate have complained that no work has been done and they've been fobbed off."

Asked what problems she'd experienced, she said: "There's cracks in the walls, cracks in the ceiling, leaks, just cracks in the building. Other people have had similar issues."

The disgruntled homeowner claimed the maintenance company only "cuts the grass" and questioned what they were paying for. It comes as residents were told they must maintain the verges on the street, she said.

Pointing to a verge outside her front door, she said: "My husband had to get all the weeds out. He dug it up and put bark in to stop weeds from coming back. We'd received a letter from the council saying things had changed and it was down to us now."

When she first moved in, the woman said the annual maintenance fee was in the region of £100. But as of 2024, she said it had gone up to £358 a year, around triple the amount.

"They said if you don't pay, we will take your property off of you," she said. "I just don't understand it all. It's a lovely estate. But the drainage is bad. The roads are too narrow. There's sharp bends on the corner, which is dangerous."

A 34-year-old doctor, who lives with his wife and two children, echoed similar concerns and said security was an issue, too. He said: "We have had issues with the people who maintain the estate, things like weeding and cutting the overgrown grass.

"We have enjoyed our stay here but the developers have not done a very good job, there's been so many complaints, faults with different houses. We had issues with our bathroom, the electric shower wasn't working. It took weeks for them (the developer) to come and then they referred us to the company that made the shower. But that's been sorted now."

He added: "We had issues with security before, there were a few cars that were stolen from the estate. We asked for lighting to be improved on the streets but nobody seemed to be interested."

A young mum who lived nearby added: "Our bathroom is leaking down to the living room. We've tried contacting them (the developer) but there's been no changes, they haven't helped."

It appeared residents living on the edge of the estate were a lot more positive. Rachael Davis, a 39-year-old nurse, who moved onto the estate in October 2021 through the £1 housing scheme, said: "We're still here, we're happy, we have no issues.

"A couple of residents complained about upkeep on the estate, weeding, keeping it tidy. We pay a maintenance fee for that. We live at the back of the estate so it is quiet here."

A 28-year-old council worker, who purchased her home through the scheme, said: "I love it here, it's so new and fresh. Touch wood, I haven't had any issues. I know some people in the middle (of the estate) had water-logged gardens but I've never had a problem."

A man, who was a neighbour, said: "There were issues with the drains last year but they came and sorted it. I wouldn't have expected anything different from a new-build estate. I'm happy here."

Damian Siwa, a 36-year-old forklift driver, who also purchased a home through the £1 scheme, said: "To be honest, I haven't had any issues. We moved in around two years ago, we were one of the last to move in. I think there were issues with some of the earlier houses built. Maybe it was fixable by the time we moved in. We've heard a few creaks but it's a fresh building, it's understandable."

He added: "The scheme is nice, we are happy. We know some people are moving out a few doors down but we don't think about moving."

The estate was built by contractors Wilmott Dixon but it is owned by WV Living, which is Wolverhampton Council's house-building company. The help-to-by scheme was largely financed by WV Living at a cost of almost £5.5million, while other finance partners included the West Midlands Combined Authority.

WV Living's response

The Marches development consists of 99 properties on open market sale, 39 via affordable rent, 28 under shared ownership, and 100 on the help-to-own scheme. The scheme allows residents to build up a loyalty premium through their monthly payments. If they leave the scheme within the first 20 years, they can take the premium as cash.

In response to the story, a WV Living spokesperson said: "We are incredibly proud of The Marches development. The variety of housing provided has given local families, couples and individuals the opportunity to get on the property ladder and own or rent new, quality-built homes, while also making the route to homeownership far more accessible.

"It is hugely satisfying that many key workers – like those just down the road from The Marches at New Cross Hospital – have benefitted by being able to secure homes in what is a well-connected neighbourhood."

Maintenance costs

Addressing claims about rising maintenance costs, WV Living said the annual service charge was based on the square-footage of properties, and any underspend was credited back to the homeowners. In the year 2023/24, the charge ranged from £90.21 to £144.34 and for the year 2024/25, it marginally increased to between £98.72 to £157.96.

'Issues with buildings'

Responding to claims that some properties had issues with 'cracks', 'leaking' bathrooms and 'weeds on pavements', WV Living said all of its homes at The Marches underwent a high level of scrutiny for quality and safety, meeting the required Building Regulation and National House Building Council (NHBC) standards prior to handover to the customer. It said that unfortunately, some customers have experienced minor leaks, which can occur as homes are settled into.

However, under the build warranty, all customers have access to an emergency out-of-hours service as well as a portal to report any non-urgent defects. WV Living said the NHBC guidelines are very specific on what constitutes a defect and what is general maintenance, which is "the responsibility of the homeowner and not WV Living".

NHBC guidance also states that most homes will experience cracking at some point, no matter how well-designed or built they are, it said. WV Living said: "The cracks are not normally serious and are very unlikely to affect the stability of the building.

"There are a number of reasons why cracking can occur, but it’s most likely to be because of drying shrinkage, thermal or moisture changes in building materials, or ground settlement. Shrinkage occurs during the initial drying out of a home. Details on this were included in the Home User Guide supplied to all homeowners at The Marches." More information on the guidance can be found here.

'Maintenance teams only cut the grass'

Addressing concerns that residents feel they are not getting their money's worth from their maintenance fee, WV Living said that some grass verges do fall within the red line boundary of a housing plot and are, therefore, the responsibility of the homeowner. The management company, Premier Estates, is currently responsible for the maintenance of all unadopted areas.

It said plans detailing these areas were supplied to all homeowners, with contract documents. WV Living said all customers should report any issues or concerns relating to unadopted areas to its management company in the first instance by registering for a Residents Log-In at premierestateslimited.com or emailing info@premierestates.co.uk.

Should these issues not be remedied in a timely manner then they can be elevated to WV Living Customer Care by emailing customercare@wvliving.co.uk who will "robustly ensure that both the management company and our contractor undertakes any works that are their responsibility", WV Living said.

'Calls for more street lighting'

Addressing calls for more street lighting, WV Living said that all street lighting on the estate was completed in line with the planning consent.