Nick Wisniewski, 67, has absolutely no neighbours despite living in a block of 128 flats.
3
3
3
Around 200 locals ditched their homes after the local authority released plans to demolish the five-storey building in Gowkthrapple, Wishaw, Scotland, a few years ago.
Now the only sole resident, Nick bought his property 22 years ago and has blasted council chiefs for trying to move him on.
He purchased it through the Right to Buy scheme and had planned to stay permanently to avoid paying rent or a mortgage after retiring.
Nick was originally offered £35,000 for his flat by North Lanarkshire Council before it was upped to a whopping £40k.
But the pensioner is still refusing to budge – and even spent thousands redecorating last year.
The council have since applied for a Compulsory Purchase Order to remove Nick from the flat.
Nick said: ”I bought the flat so that if anything happened to my son when I’m not here, he’d have a roof over his head, but that safety is obviously gone now.
“I also bought it to save me paying rent after retirement, but now because the council have decided to go ahead with these redevelopment plans, I’m suddenly expected to start paying rent again, why should I? I’m not prepared to leave myself skint.”
Nick said the area, made up of eight blocks, used to be buzzing with around 200 people, but the last residents left in December 2021.
Council officials, who want to flatten the area to redevelop it, also offered him two years’ rent somewhere else if he moves.
But Nick claims North Lanarkshire Council’s offer would not be enough to buy somewhere else.
What are my rights if the council want to knock down my home?
According to Shelter Scotland, if you own your home, the council can only force you to repair or demolish your home if it’s dangerous or unsafe.
They can give you advice and support to do the work. If you disagree with them, you can appeal against the order in court.
If your home is demolished or you have to move out, you could get compensation.
You can claim any of the following:
- a home loss payment – to compensate you for losing your home
- a disturbance payment – to cover removal costs
- a well maintained payment – for keeping your home in a good state of repair
You can find out more here.
He said: “When I found out I was going to be the last person left on the street I really did worry there would be problem, but thankfully there hasn’t been in trouble.
“I could be wrong, but I am assuming the council are holding off until they build the new bungalows and maybe they will offer me one of them.
“They initially said they would give me two years rent free, but I would want more than that now.
“If they are offering me money for the flat it would need to be near the £100,000 mark now – prices have gone up, everything is more expensive now.”
The council have confirmed that they still intend to progress with the demolition of the block, and are “exploring options” for housing arrangements for Nick.
A spokesperson said: “Our contractors are progressing with the demolition of low-rise blocks as part of our ambitious plans to transform this area of Gowkthrapple.
“We continue to explore all options available to provide Mr Wisniewski with suitable alternative housing, to try to avoid the need to use a Compulsory Purchase Order.”