A GRANDAD claims work at a nearby Lidl supermarket has left his cars covered in dust and put cracks in his home.
David Dolmans and wife Sherrie thought the supermarket was only adding an “extension” when work began last year.
But after eight months of earth-shattering vibrations, unbearable noise and blinding construction lights – they said it was like living living in “Jurassic Park”.
Lidl’s surveyor said cracks in David’s home were not related to the construction project but due to subsidence.
David, 62, from South London, told The Sun: “This was meant to be an extension and a partial demolition.
“The house was vibrating, I’ve got two young grandchildren, it was like Jurassic Park – I poured them an orange squash and it was shaking around.
“The boulders were the size of SUVs coming out the ground, they were huge, we got craters you could hide an articulated 40ft lorry down.
“We have had cracks appear and we have contacted our insurance, they say it could be due to the subsidence but these cracks weren’t there prior to the demolition.
“I’ve got a classic Mercedes CLK, a £40k van and two other cars, and they were literally caked in dust and c***.”
David and Sherrie moved into their Sydenham home in 1989 next to what was then the Saxon Tavern pub.
Lidl snapped up the site in 1994 and it became one of the first of the German grocer’s UK stores.
Life continued as normal for the family and it was useful having a shop next door.
But when “extension” works on the 5,000sq ft site began last September, it brought nothing but misery to David’s family.
Ring doorbell footage shows bungling builders crashing a lorry into David’s garden wall, HGVs blocking the drive, loud bangs and flashing lights going off at night.
Other incidents have seen steel beams transported at 5am on a Saturday morning, workers tarmacking the car park on a Sunday and seven trees cut down.
To add insult to injury, Lewisham Council said Lidl demolished its previous building without planning permission and the site is in fact “unauthorised”.
Property manager David added: “We have got video footage of them working out of hours, working on Sundays, we have had confrontations.”
Late night and early morning deliveries have also disturbed the peace, David claims, with alarms allegedly ringing at 4am and not being switched off.
The extensive works also brought with it clouds of dust which coated his prize car collection.
David said he was forced to spend £350 on valeting, which Lidl paid for, but he claims they have not covered a second deep clean.
He fumed: “Why do my cars have to be sh**ted up for several months because you don’t want to clean them?
“They’ve never got round to cleaning the windows on the house.”
Living next to a supermarket can have its positives but there are pitfalls.
Incredibly, living with walking distance of a supermarket could add an average £21,000 to the value of your home.
And some who neighbour Waitrose could add £43,571 to their properties in a phenomena known as The “Waitrose effect”.
But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows – with traffic, impatient drivers and deliveries all causing a nuisance to those nearby.
In 2022, Asda in Bedminster, Bristol, accused a group of residents of launching a “campaign of abuse” against its staff.
Locals said the supermarket giant had left them “shattered” by allowing late night deliveries which have been causing them sleepless nights for eight years.
They said the ASDA had broken the rules which ban the trucks from the yard between 10pm and 6am more than 2,500 times in the last eight years.
The long-running row saw a man convicted in April 2021 for going into the delivery yard on three occasions where he was abusive to staff.
David says he’s also faced mounting bills because of alleged cracks in bricks, adding: “I’ve got an excess to pay £500-£600.
“I’ve also laid out £1,000 on some trees to try and screen it, I’ve got some trellis coming which I’ve spent nearly another £1,000.
“It’s a humongous building which we didn’t realise was going to be as intrusive as it actually is.”
The works have since finished and the superstore is reopened for business.
But David claims Lidl “don’t really talk to us” and their party wall representatives have been “a complete waste of time”.
The house was vibrating, I’ve got two young grandchildren, it was like Jurassic Park
David Dolmans
He added: “We’ve put up with quite a bit from this. You would be aghast that this was meant to be a part-demolition and extension of an existing building.
“Why these big companies think they can bully the local cash-strapped councils because they ain’t got money and they can do pretty much as they like.
“You see on Channel 5 how wonderful Aldi and Lidl are and how they do this and that.
“But there is no negative programmes on how they’re taking the piss out of local authorities.”
You can get nuisance builders to down their tools if they are causing unnecessary noise and disturbances.
And they may even be breaking the law if you catch them working out of hours.
In most areas across Britain, building sites are permitted to carry out noisy works Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, and on Saturdays between 8am to 1pm.
No noisy work should take place on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
These hours do not relate to domestic DIY works, or works that do not create a noise.
If you think noise from a construction site to be unreasonable or unnecessary and feel comfortable, try visiting the site office and speaking to the site manager.
This is because the contractor may not be aware they are causing a problem but be prepared to offer a compromise.
If you feel uncomfortable approaching the site and are experiencing noise at an un-permitted or unreasonable hour, you can report it to your local authority.
This will usually involve a phone call and a council official may then schedule a visit.
If builders have damaged your home with their construction, you should collect all the evidence you can and send a written complain.
This will make them aware that you know your rights and are willing to take legal action if necessary.
Find out whether they’re in a trade association that has a dispute resolution scheme and take the matter further.
David claims Lidl’s alleged attitude toward his concerns is what has “really peed us off” and he wants the German titan “held to account”.
But he adds: “I don’t think they [the council] will make them pull it down.
“They would make normal Joe Bloggs pull it down if it was incorrect which I find a bit unfair.
“They’ve got so much money, we don’t feel like we can take them on.”
A Lewisham Council spokesperson said: “We are aware that the pre-existing building has been demolished without planning permission.
“The consented works only allowed for various extensions to the pre-existing building. As such, the existing works are unauthorised.
“The Enforcement Team has advised the applicant to submit a retrospective planning application and Lidl is currently in discussions with the Enforcement Team about how they wish to proceed with their proposals.”
A Lidl spokesperson said: “Our Bellingham store is almost 30 years old, and with its popularity increasing over the years we’re pleased to have been able to extend the store, to give even more households access to good food at affordable prices.
“The store adheres fully to the approved planning drawings with safety remaining a priority throughout the construction process.
“As a responsible business, we go to great lengths to minimise disruption to our neighbours during construction, whilst maintaining open communication and direct access to project teams for support, as was the case with our Bellingham store.
“We’re extremely grateful to our neighbours for their patience and understanding during this phase of the development.”
