A Fife family only discovered their home was to be demolished thanks to The Courier.
Despite Fife Council saying it had consulted with tenants affected by its plans for Craigie Street in Ballingry, Anne Ewan and her daughters Jennifer and Naomi were shocked to read that their home would soon be razed to the ground.
“If it wasn’t for reading about it, we could have passed one day and seen a pile of rubble,” Jennifer said.
The saga started last year when council tenants were decanted from their homes so that the local authority could carry out improvements works.
That was hit by delays, with the family living out of packing boxes for months before they were eventually moved into temporary accommodation in June 2012.
But back at Craigie Street the council had discovered that the water problems, which had led to the improvement work in the first place, were more serious than first thought.
It was originally estimated that the cost of the refurbishment would be around £60,000 per flat but, following a review, that rose to £75,000 so the entire cost for the 12 properties would be £900,000.
Deciding they were too expensive to repair and an eyesore, the council opted to allocate new homes to the tenants and flatten the blocks. But it was the council’s comment that tenants had been consulted that raised eyebrows in the family.
“We accepted the delays and the fact the house we were moved to was much smaller, because all along we thought it was going to be temporary,” Jennifer said.
“What we were most angry about was not the fact the houses were going to be demolished that is probably for the best but it was the fact the article said the council had told us and were consulting with residents.
“Maybe they told some of them but they certainly did not talk to us. We found out our house was going to be demolished through your paper.”
The council’s head of housing and neighbourhood services Derek Muir apologised for not having spoken to Mrs Ewan before she read of her home’s fate in The Courier.
He said: “Fife Council’s Cowdenbeath area committee agreed to the proposed demolition of the 12 properties at Craigie Street, Ballingry, due to deteriorating conditions, rising costs and lack of demand.
“The majority of tenants originally living in these houses have been offered and accepted permanent housing from Fife Council. However, we still have to discuss the future housing options for a small number of tenants.
“I am aware that Mrs Euan (sic) is one of these tenants and would apologise on behalf of the council for not having arranged a suitable opportunity to discuss this with her. We have been in contact with Mrs Euan and are in the process of making arrangements to fully discuss this issue with her direct.”
Photo by David Wardle