A Wishaw man and his son have been the only people living in a ghost town-like street in Gowkthrapple since last year.
Nick Wisniewski, 66, bought his flat in Stanhope Place more than six years ago under the “Right to Buy” scheme.
He has been offered £35,000 for it by the council as they plan to flatten the place and redevelop the area.
Brought in during the Thatcher-era in October 1980, the property purchase initiative gave council tenants the right under law to purchase their homes at a discounted price. It resulted in almost 500,000 homes being bought up, but only a tiny percentage of that number were replaced by local authorities in Scotland resulting in a crisis in the social-housing rental sector.
Nick retired last year after working for more than 20 years with TSB bank. He bought the flat, he shares with his 35-year-old son, before the scheme ended in Scotland. It gave him peace of mind that he wouldn’t have to worry about rent or mortgage payments, but he is now unsure what the future holds for him.
“I’m in the only occupied house in the whole street and it’s been that way since the end of December,” he said.
“I bought my flat as I didn’t want to be paying rent for the rest of my life. The council have offered me £35,000 but to buy another would cost me anything between £80,000 and £100,000 now. I’ve not heard from the council for nine months and the money they’re offering won’t buy anything these days.”
North Lanarkshire Council did offer Nick alternative rented accommodation but he turned it down.
He continued: “I went down to the Civic Centre and they showed me a two-bedroomed terraced house in Coltness and said they’d give me two years rent free. I’m retired and haven’t paid rent or mortgage for years, why should I start having to pay rent again.
“The council said they can’t offer me a penny more. They are talking about a Compulsory Purchase Order but that’s a last resort. They’ve only spoken to me once. If they make me a decent offer then perhaps we could use that and my son could get us a mortgage. I’m too old for a mortgage now.”
Nick has raised concerns about general maintenance in the area with grass badly overgrown in Stanhope Place.
He added: “The height of the grass is ridiculous but at the other side of Gowkthrapple the blocks are all empty but they are still cutting it over there.
"I contacted my MSP’s office a few weeks ago who got on to the council and they said they were going to cut it. I left it a week and nothing happened so I phoned back and they said they had changed their minds and weren’t cutting it. The council is a law unto themselves, they don’t care.
“There’s no security and people could get into the empty flats. There’s lots of windows been broken. Eventually they [council] started boarding the bottom two levels up. Thankfully I’ve never had any bother yet.”
A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said: “We fully understand this is a sensitive issue and are working closely with the resident.
"It would not be appropriate to discuss the specific financial details, but we are working in accordance with our policies to ensure the resident receives a fair deal and to support him so that he finds suitable alternative accommodation.”
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