I’m last man standing on ‘ghost town’ estate – council offered me £40k to leave but I refused… now row has ramped up
A ROW between a council and the “last man standing” on a housing estate set for demolition is to be decided by the government.
Retired bank worker Nick Wisnewski, 68, has been living alone in the derelict Stanhope Place buildings for three years.
He is the final resident there amid North Lanarkshire Council’s plans to demolish the estate and build 300 new homes.
The buildings in Wishaw in Scotland once contained around 200 residents in 128 flats and are set to be demolished as part of a regeneration project.
But Nick says their offers to buy him out haven’t been good enough for him to give up his home – and he won’t budge.
He rejected offers of £35,000 and £40,000 from the council to buy it back.
He claimed the amounts would not enable him to purchase a new home.
Councillors have agreed to promote a compulsory purchase order for the flat.
The dispute is now set to go before the Scottish Government.
It will assess the case and also consider any objections before concluding.
The council says they are continuing to work with him to bring the stand-off to an end.
Earlier this month, a defiant Wisniewski said he was “sticking it out” until he heard from the council.
The retired bank worker revealed that, despite being the last person remaining, he had no plans of moving anywhere.
He said previously: “When people left they just dumped old cookers, mattresses, washing machine outside, it was a mess.
“The council just left the flats lying empty after people moved out.
“There is no security and people could get into the empty flats and lots of windows have been broken.
“Thankfully I haven’t had any trouble. The grass is badly overgrown, it’s ridiculous.
“I think the council are leaving it unkept to annoy me or in the hope I get fed up and leave.
Wisniewski disclosed that the Council offered him a flat with two years of free rent, but he declined their offer.
“But I am not prepared to start paying rent again and £35,000 is not enough to buy somewhere new,” he added.
“You’re talking £80,000 to £100,000 to get somewhere new. I’m worried that I don’t know where I am going to end up living.
“I didn’t work all my life to have my home taken from me when I am too old to get a mortgage on something else.
“It would be so hard to leave my home.”
Under plans for the Gowkthrapple area, the council wants to demolish 428 flats and replace them with up to 300 homes.
The council has rehoused tenants and reached an agreement with other residents who owned their flats.
A North Lanarkshire Council spokesman said: “We are continuing to try and engage with the remaining resident and our focus is on progressing our ambitious plans to transform this area of Gowkthrapple for the benefit of the local community.”
The Sun has contacted North Lanarkshire Council for comment
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
A council tenant's rights are laid out in section 105 of The Housing Act, 1985.
This gives secure tenants rights to be consulted by their landlord on matters relating to the management, maintenance, improvement or demolition of their homes, to make their views heard and that the authority considers tenants’ representations.
Although this is an individual right, it can be used effectively through tenants working together.
Most council tenants, presently, are secure tenants as are some housing association tenants – where their tenancy started before January 1989.
Consultations are carried out where development proposals may have an impact on secure council tenants.
Leaseholders are also asked for their feedback and kept informed.
As a secure tenant, you can normally live in the property for the rest of your life, as long as you do not break the conditions of the tenancy.
As a flexible tenant, you have a tenancy for a fixed period. This is usually for at least five years, though in some cases it may be between two and five years.
If the council needs to move you, for example, to redevelop the property – it should offer you a new property and a new tenancy with no less security.