A HOUSING developer has been accused of "investing in trouble for the future" by failing to build secure homes in a notorious York trouble spot.

PC Jim Shanks has hit out at Barratt Homes for falling short of full "secure by design" standards at its 120-home development at Oaklands Park, off Tedder Road, Acomb.

But a Barratt spokeswoman said the company gave a high priority to designing out crime.

PC Shanks, architectural liaison officer for the police, said 50 affordable homes being built by a housing association on the same site were far more secure than nearby private houses.

He said the Home Housing Association buildings boast brick sheds, security-tested doors and windows and an all-round higher level of security than their private sector neighbours.

The £15 million building site has already proved a magnet for young hooligans who, as the Evening Press reported last month, have torn down half-built walls, abused residents and vandalised vehicles.

PC Shanks said: "When someone buys a home they automatically expect it to have a decent level of security and that just is not the case with these homes."

He said: "York is actively promoting secure homes and we have got everyone working in partnership apart from the private sector developers and builders who seem to be more concerned about their shareholders."

Jane Mowat, director of Safer York Partnership, said it was a "great disappointment" to see a developer ignoring some of the principles of making property secure by design (SBD). She said: "It is madness to dismiss the long-term benefits of SBD such as eliminating unnecessary footpaths, natural surveillance and secure windows and doors - all of which deter crime and criminal behaviour."

City of York Council leader Steve Galloway, who is responsible for the Westfield ward at Acomb, said talks were under way to ensure all new developments would meet SBD principles.

He said as an interim measure he would commend developers who offered new home-buyers the opportunity to upgrade the standard of their home's security, at an additional cost.

Steve Pearson, Yorkshire regional director of Home Housing Association, confirmed that all its houses were built to secure-by-design standards.

He said: "We build to high standards of security because we are renting the units and we have to take a long-term view for the safety, security and comfort of our customers."

But a Barratt spokeswoman said the company gave a high priority to designing out crime, with measures exceeding current legal requirements.

She said all external doors were steel, with three-point locks, double-bolt throws, viewer and security chain, while windows were double-glazed with fitted locks.

"We build homes in small clusters with secure gardens, limited public access and ensuring pathways are well lit, with no dark corners or alleyways," she said.

Updated: 10:20 Monday, July 21, 2003