Anger over property left boarded-up for 10 years

Forbes Soutar, 66, who lives in Finavon Street, said the semi-detached property attached to his was boarded up when the previous tenants moved out a decade ago.

He said: “The property remains boarded-up and is a complete and utter eyesore.

“I do what I can to keep my property neat and tidy and spend a lot of time in my garden.

“But I sometimes wonder what’s the point when this house next door is such a mess.

“When people look at the front of the two buildings their eyes will be immediately drawn to the boarded-up windows and doors and the mess of the garden.”

Mr Soutar said that his house and the one next door were initially earmarked for demolition during building work in the area.

He said: “My neighbours moved out and the house ended up boarded-up but was never demolished.

“I own my house and I have no intentions of moving — I have lived here for 40 years and plan to continue to live here.

“What I really want is something to be done about the state of the house next door.

“It’s a mess and I want to know who is going to do something about it.”

Ian Thomson, chief executive of Abertay Housing Association, which owns the proerty, said: “We are a bit in limbo with this particular house.

“It was boarded some time ago when other Abertay properties in the area were demolished.

“Currently there are no plans to do anything with this house. We will continue to maintain the garden and at the moment there are no plans to demolish it. Our concern if we went down that road would be that it could risk damaging the house next door.”

Mr Thomson said that the house couldn’t be lived in because it didn’t meet housing standards.

He said: “We can’t put a tenant in the house because it is defective and doesn’t meet the standards of properties than can be let out.

“We are in the unusual situation in this case that we can’t move forward and we can’t move back.“

Councillor for the area Brian Gordon said that the owners of the property had to take some responsibility for what happened to it.

He said: “Something needs to be done.

“The owner of the property next door is suffering because this house remains boarded-up and is an eyesore.”

A DUNDEE man has spoken of his anger at having to live next to an “eyesore” house which has been boarded-up for 10 years.

Forbes Soutar, 66, has called for action to be taken over the “eyesore” property — but owner Abertay Housing says it is in “limbo”.

The house in Finavon Street.