Woman, 90, with dementia in court threat over garden
WRANGLE OVER LAND AFTER FENCE MOVED A FEW FEET 30 YEARS AGO
A HOUSING trust threatened to take a 90-year-old woman with dementia to court over a dispute about ‘two-and-a-half feet’ of land - after a fence was moved more than 30 years ago.
Mary Thompson, who lives in Wythenshawe and needs roundthe-clock care, moved into her home on Robinswood Road, Woodhouse Park, in 1961.
Her son Mark, 58, said the boundary in the back garden of the property was altered some time in the late 1980s or early 1990s, in an ‘gentleman’s deal’ with her then next-door neighbours. A fence was moved ‘twoand-a-half feet,’ Mark said.
Wythenshawe Community Housing Group, which owns the house next door to Mary, now wants the strip of land back and has started civil proceedings against Mrs Thompson.
Trust bosses say court action is a last resort. The Thompsons met with managers from the housing group on Thursday and yesterday. They have since agreed to split the disputed land down the middle.
But Mark insists he would have fought his mother’s corner if he had the cash to do so.
“I don’t understand why they want the land after all this time,” he added. “It’s the way they’ve gone about it that I don’t like.”
Mark says his late dad, Ted, agreed with the neighbours to move the garden fence because they didn’t want the manhole on their side more than 30 years ago.
As a result, a fence was moved and the matter was forgotten about, he claims.
Wythenshawe Community Housing Group bosses raised the issue after buying the house.
Legal correspondence between the trust and Mrs Thompson over the land has been exchanged and the case was listed to be heard at Manchester County Court on Monday.
Mark, 58, from Altrincham, said he would negotiate a settlement to split the land as long as the costs are covered by the housing trust.
He said: “The change happened many, many years ago. Everyone forgot about it.
“My mum’s garden ended up two-and-a-half feet wider. We cannot pinpoint it, other than to the late 1980s or early 1990s.”
Mark said that after more than 20 years, it would become ‘adverse possession.’
“We have changed the fence panels twice over the years,” he added.
“My mother has not even done anything. She only knows a bit about it.
“It’s ridiculous - and all over just two-and-a-half feet of land.”
Mark and his mother currently have no legal advice.
She bought the ex-council house from the local authority and still has a small mortgage.
Manchester County Court confirmed a hearing is due to take place on Monday morning.
But a spokesman for Wythenshawe Community Housing Group said an agreement, in principle, had been made.
“We have been in discussion with the owner occupier’s son Mr Thomson, over an 18-month period to try and resolve the land boundary dispute in question, making several offers to reinstate the boundary with no costs being incurred to themselves, but sadly we had to resort to legal action as a matter of land ownership.
“We are pleased to advise, however, that this matter has now been resolved amicably between the said parties with the land being returned back to WCHG.
“As a result of reaching this agreement, WCHG will not be pursing any costs in relation to this and we will continue to offer our support to the family.”