Some residents in Torbay want a landowner to stop adding to a big pile of soil, rock, and tree stumps in the north end of the community.

Landowner James Malloy has been renovating his property by trucking in up to 1,500 loads of fill for a low-lying area of his backyard.

Dilshad Mathani wants the pile of fill to be removed. (CBC )

Dilshad Mithani, a dentist who lives and works across the road from the property, has had enough.

"I think it's a mess," said Mithani. "And you know this last few months it has been relentless. Trucks coming, trucks going. Sometimes in half an hour there have been 18 trucks just going back and forth, back and forth, dust everywhere, garbage flying, you know."

Mithani added that she'd like to see the project stopped, and the area returned to the way it was before trucks began dumping loads of fill.

"I'd like them to take all this out and give us back the nice valley we had," said Mithani. "Can they do it?"

Stop work order issued

The town of Torbay issued a stop-work order to Malloy, but town councillor Ralph Tapper says the landowner has ignored it.

Tapper, who also lives in the neighbourhood, said right now, the town can't do anything more.

"It's scarring the landscape," said Tapper. "You know there is a coastal view here, but it's like it's endless. We are very frustrated that way."

Molloy has not responded to CBC's request for an interview.

Tapper said a new policy to give the town of Torbay more control over backfill projects will be introduced at the town's next council meeting.