2,000 jobs is great news but what about our home?

Homeowners in Knottingley claim they could be forced out of their homes as part of plans to build two new distribution warehouses right on their doorstep.
The Daskalaki family have been left wondering about their future after plans were announced for a huge new warehouses right where there home is. Caddick Construction has announced plans for two new distribution warehouses which will create 2,000 jobs. But the family claim no-one has spoken to them about what it means for their home.
Stavros, Julie, Kate, Antony, Georgia Daskalakis ans neighbour Paul HarteThe Daskalaki family have been left wondering about their future after plans were announced for a huge new warehouses right where there home is. Caddick Construction has announced plans for two new distribution warehouses which will create 2,000 jobs. But the family claim no-one has spoken to them about what it means for their home.
Stavros, Julie, Kate, Antony, Georgia Daskalakis ans neighbour Paul Harte
The Daskalaki family have been left wondering about their future after plans were announced for a huge new warehouses right where there home is. Caddick Construction has announced plans for two new distribution warehouses which will create 2,000 jobs. But the family claim no-one has spoken to them about what it means for their home. Stavros, Julie, Kate, Antony, Georgia Daskalakis ans neighbour Paul Harte

Mum-of-three Julie Daskalaki says the new Cross Point Wakefield development, which will be just off junction 33 of the M62, will be built on the site of her family home.

Subject to planning permission the scheme, which would create 2,000 jobs, would be built on land on Grovehall Lane.

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Mrs Daskalaki, 38, said: “We have not got anything against the development and creating jobs for the area but nobody has told us what is going to happen to our home.

“It’s just a nightmare - that’s the only word to describe it. We just feel as though we have been cast aside and they don’t seem to care about us.”

Mrs Daskalaki, who lives with her husband Stavros and two children Georgia, 15 and Antony, 13, said she had two meeting with developers Caddick Construction but the company has still not answered her question about what will happen to her home.

She said: “They’ve told us and our neighbours that they don’t have any intention to buy our properties because they don’t need the land but we are within the boundaries of the site and they won’t answer our questions.

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“We feel like our basic rights have been taken away from us and we are living in limbo about what the future will bring. The best we can wish for is that they don’t do anything with our homes and then we’re going to be living in the middle of an industrial estate with 18 lorries coming and going every five minutes.”

Mrs Daskalaki said she was also concerned the warehouses would see deliveries to and from the site 24 hours a day.

She said: “We would literally get no sleep with the amount of lorries coming in and out of the site and not being in operation 24-hours a day would not affect the number of jobs.”

Dad-of-one Paul Harte, who also lives on Grovehall Lane, has also objected the planning application claiming he too has not been told by Caddick about what might happen to his home.

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He said: “There are so many issues with these proposals it’s unbelievable. Caddick’s exact quote to me was that they are not interested in buying my property but the warehouses’ car parks will back directly onto my house.”

Knottingley councillor Graham Stokes has spoken to Mrs Daskalaki about her concerns and called on Caddick to communicate better with the family about the development.

He said: “I sympathise with Mrs Daskalaki and I wouldn’t want to be in her position myself but I did tell her that I would have to support the application because we desperately need the jobs in our area.

“I also told her that I would hope the developer would purchase the family’s property and take control of the whole site.

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“I think Caddick do need to talk more to the homeowners on Grovehall Lane but unfortunately we cannot afford to turn down 2,000 jobs because of two homes.

“If it was that the applicants could make the warehouses work without operating 24 hours a day then I would urge the developers to do that but if the scheme wouldn’t work without being in operation 24/7 I’d have to support that too.”

Myles Harley, managing director of Caddick Construction, said: “We’ve listened very carefully to comments made and as a result have introduced a number of changes and improvements to the scheme in direct response to concerns raised.”

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