A DAD who is refusing to move out of “Britain’s loneliest street” has started redecorating his home.
Nick Wisniewski, 66, has no neighbours living beside him in 128 flats after the last of around 200 residents moved out last December.
At a recent planning committee meeting councillors gave the green light to approve the start of the compulsory purchase order process for Nick’s flat.
But Nick refuses to leave despite the council’s attempts to buy him out, and is planning on spending £1,000 to repaint his living room, get new carpets, and panel his hall.
The eight blocks of flats and other homes on Stanhope Place in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, are all scheduled for demolition.
Council officials offered him £35,000 for his flat plus two years’ rent somewhere else if he moved – but Nick turned it down.
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Retired bank worker Nick said: “I am not looking for a new house.
“I have decided to paint and wallpaper my hall and living room and get a new carpet in the living room which is costing about £1,000.
“I have started taking the wallpaper down in my hall and ordered wood panelling which I am hoping to get up next week.
“I am not worried about spending the money on doing that stuff because I am not going anywhere.
“I heard the council have a compulsory purchase order but they have not contacted me about it which I am really shocked by.
“I am staying put.
“Even if the council has a compulsory purchase order it would still take a while.
“I am not worried about it.
“I am still planning on spending Christmas in the house this year.”
Nick said council chiefs left the area abandoned and overgrown with empty properties boarded up after the last residents left.
But he said he was shocked to recently see the grass had been cut, his close cleaned, and new lights fitted in the lampposts.
“They have stared to clean my close which I thought was strange.
“Then they replaced the lights in the lampposts and cut some of the long grass around the car park.
“I think it’s a bit crazy if they are saying they are still going to demolish the place.
“The whole place was meant to be getting demolished last November, it doesn’t make any sense to me what’s going on but I am happy because I am still here.”
Nick bought his flat in 2017 under the Right to Buy scheme which helped council tenants buy their homes at a discounted price.
A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said: “We have been in dialogue with the Mr Wiesnewski for a number of years to try and reach agreement on the purchase of his property and to find him suitable alternative accommodation as part of our wider regeneration plans for Gowkthrapple.
“The Gowkthrapple Regeneration Masterplan on this site includes the construction of 300 new homes, with the first phase of 97 new council homes for rent already underway.
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“Every effort has been made to reach an agreement however, we have so far been unable to reach a settlement. A report was agreed by elected members at a recent planning committee to proceed with a compulsory purchase order (CPO) of the property in line with current planning legislation.
“We remain willing to try and agree a voluntary acquisition and discuss re-housing options with Mr Wiesnewski as we proceed with preparations for the CPO process.”
