FEARS that piling work on the site of former Bingley Hospital has caused vibrations which brought down a nearby garden wall are ill-founded say developers.

A wall to the rear of Roy and Gael Housley's home in Moorbottom Lane fell forward into their garden two days after deep work began on the new specialised dementia unit.

But Adrian Rooney, regional director of Bardsley Construction Yorkshire, said any complaints were taken seriously and vibrations were being closely monitored.

"The wall that has failed is a garden wall and not a retaining wall and also appears to be in a poor state of maintenance," he said, adding recent considerable rainfall would have added hydrostatic pressure to the garden walls.

"There is no evidence of damage to the external render to the houses or indeed any signs of damage to any other property or the surrounding area," Mr Rooney said.

"As soon as we were contacted by Mr and Mrs Housley, we moved to address their concerns by liaising further with our specialist contractors and piling works to construct a new wall at the Bingley site were temporarily halted while an expert assessment was carried out.

"From this expert assessment there was nothing to indicate that the vibrations were above the safe working limit."

Work has now restarted and the company has introduced extra vibration monitors. Engineers are also making hourly checks during the working day.

"The monitors are put in place to ensure we do not exceed our the safe working limit, which is set to provide reassurance that no structural damage to any properties will occur as a result of the vibrations," Mr Rooney added.

"Residents close to the works may experience minor noise and vibration within the property this is normal given the type of works being undertaken, but would state that this work is of short duration and will be complete by this Friday."

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Developer says building work at Bingley Hospital site did not lead to collapse of garden wall

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For almost eight years, the Green family has repeatedly asked the city how their neighbours towering 6-metre garage could be legal and have been told nothing can be done about it.

But with a new mayor in office, Dianne Green, a 77-year-old widow, decided to give it another try.

In the last few years, I have survived losing my husband of 55 years, cancer, the [Sunrise] propane explosion, dealing (with) our home insurance company and being bullied, but now I am alone and it is just too much, she wrote in spidery longhand. No one can deny this wall is horrible to look at and I have to see it every day. It is very, very offensive I am in great need of your help. I would be very thankful and grateful if the by law is enforced and the wall is covered up properly.

The letter may have struck a chord over at city hall because the Greens received a quick response, though it was not the one they were hoping for. Like every previous exchange, the city told them the garage doesnt break any bylaws.

Michael Green, a Polish Holocaust survivor, moved to Canada after the war and married Dianne in 1959. They moved into their house that same year and raised two kids in the Downsview area of North York without any disputes for decades.

All that came to an end in 2008, when Jose Santos bought the house that backed onto theirs, knocked it down and built a bigger one in its place. He also raised the level of his back yard by a metre and built a large garage on top.

The reason the garage appears so large is because its sitting on a back yard thats been raised three feet, and it wasnt like that before he bought it, said their son, Jeff Green.

While the city ordered Santos to reduce the height of his garage by a few feet, inspectors determined that no other bylaws had been broken.

Believe it or not, what you see is the lower height, Jeff Green said.

Reached at his home Wednesday evening, Santos declined to comment. He had previously told the Star: Whatever I do with my garage is my business, not yours. Its nobodys business.

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Monster wall complaints fall on deaf ears at city hall

The city of Portage will once again invest in Silver Lake Beach.

The Parks and Recreation Board voted 4-1 on Tuesday to proceed with the replacement of a retaining wall at the location this spring.

The more than 200-foot-long wall will be replaced instead of repaired. The full replacement is expected to cost around $100,000.

Board members said they want the wall to be aesthetically pleasing and noted that it could look something like the retaining wall at the Market Square parking lot downtown.

Well be dead the next time they replace this wall, said Board Chairman Brian Zirbes, stating the groups rationale for going beyond a simple repair.

Zirbes, however, was the lone no vote Tuesday. Zirbes is not against the project, but had hoped it would go farther and potentially expand facilities with a deck of some type.

Manager of Parks and Recreation Dan Kremer, however, said the project budget did not allow the group to expand the scope. The plan presented was what the engineer thought was the best option for function and longevity within the proposed budget, he said.

Funding for the project was approved as part of the 2015 city budget.

The city will now seek construction bids for the project.

Board member Todd Kreckman, an assistant varsity soccer coach in Portage, called on city officials to get tougher in protecting the varsity soccer field in Veterans Memorial Field.

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City plans to replace Silve Lake Beach retaining wall

Repairing slip near Broad Bay that has inconvenienced motorists since 2013 is about to start, and work on widening Portobello Rd and renewing the sea wall close to Otakou is under way.

The $1.51 million project to build a retaining wall at Turnbulls Bay, by Broad Bay, would begin ''almost immediately'', Dunedin City Council roading projects engineer Michael Harrison said.

The wall was required after the road was undermined during a storm in mid-2013 and the damage has caused traffic delays ever since.

Mr Harrison said yesterday set-up work had been done, plans were in place, and materials ordered so the contractor could begin work.

The first job was to relocate a telecommunication cable. After that, the project would involve building a reinforced earth retaining structure, with concrete blocks on its face.

It would be built to allow for future road-widening and cycleway work.

The project, depending on weather, was expected to be completed by May.

At Otakou, another stage of the Portobello Rd-Harington Point Rd safety improvements began last month.

That work would involve renewing the sea wall, widening the road and building a walking and cycle lane.

The work near the settlement was expected to finish in April.

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Portobello Rd work starts in earnest

Telephone retaining wall part 2 finished
Telephone pole retaining wall finished looking good year later.

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Trapped Puppy Rescue, Thanks to ARL and BAC
On a freezing cold evening, two boys discovered a young puppy trapped between a fence and retaining wall in a park across the street. They called the Animal Rescue League of Boston and Boston...

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Trapped Puppy Rescue, Thanks to ARL and BAC - Video

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Retaining walls built of stone or brick are the traditional style and usually blend nicely into their surrounding landscape. The question is, though: are these really the best materials for the job today? The purpose of a retaining wall in a residential setting is to correct the natural slope of the grounds, leaving a level area for gardening, building a patio, or otherwise enjoying more of your property than you would otherwise be able to. This function calls for a huge amount of strength, endurance, and resistance to the elements. Nowadays, concrete may be the material that best fits the bill. Lets look at the pros and cons of installing a concrete retaining wall on your land.

Pro

Choice. There are three basic types of concrete retaining wall installation: concrete blocks, precast concrete panels, or poured-in-place concrete. This allows you the flexibility to choose the method thats right for your situation.

Strength. Concrete is extremely strong, which is a vital quality when youre talking about holding up tons of earth and water. Whats more, after installation, your concrete retaining wall will continue to cure in place, further increasing its strength.

Durability. A concrete wall can stand up to the test of time, often lasting for a century or longer.

Resistance. Do you want a retaining wall thats fireproof, rot-proof, and rustproof? Concretes right for the job. Precast concrete also tends to be exceptionally resistant to road salts and freeze-thaw cycles in harsh winter climates.

Ease of installation. It is usually faster and easier to install a concrete retaining wall compared to other, much more labor-intensive types.

Flexibility. Concrete will allow you to build curves, angles, or staircases into the retaining wall design with a minimum of difficulty.

Good looks. Say goodbye to the boring gray concrete of yesteryear. Todays concrete offers you a plethora of design and color possibilities. It can be made to look like a variety of materials, such as stone, or it may be faced with a natural stone veneer. There are special stains for coloring concrete to the shade of your choice.

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Concrete retaining wall pros and cons

Durham Castle, built in the 11th century, is facing a serious damp problem Norman Chapel is one of the worst affected sections of the former palace Durham University hopes to root out the damp with maintenance work Experts described the works as 'essential' to prevent further deterioration

By Ollie Gillman for MailOnline

Published: 06:20 EST, 9 January 2015 | Updated: 06:37 EST, 9 January 2015

It was a stronghold built by the Normans to help defend England from rebellious northerners and marauding Scots, but 11th century Durham Castle now faces another battle - against damp.

Durham University, responsible for the upkeep of the grand monument, hopes to root out the damp in the oldest parts of the castle.

The Norman Chapel, which is almost 1,000 years old, is one of the worst affected sections of the former bishop's palace and could undergo vital work to dry it out.

Durham Castle is facing a battle against damp, with some of the oldest sections of the grand monument worst affected

Durham University, responsible for the castle's upkeep, hopes to carry out work to eradicate the damp

The university has submitted proposals to Durham Council and hopes to eradicate the damp by building a retaining wall.

Trevar Armour,director of estates and buildings at Durham University said: 'There is currently some dampness affecting the walls of the Norman Chapel at Durham Castle.

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Durham Castle is facing a battle against DAMP