Western Daily Press (Saturday)
I won’t give up my home of 63 years – firm warned
AWOMAN who has lived in her home for 63 years is refusing to leave – despite her entire street being bulldozed.
Sheila Studden, 75, has vowed to be the last one standing after being handed an eviction notice due to her home being earmarked for redevelopment.
A compulsory purchase order has now been approved for Sheila’s road in Plymouth, Devon, but she says she will not give up without a fight.
Despite the homes around her all now being boarded up and put behind fencing, she is still refusing to leave.
Five streets are being bulldozed in what is the next phase of the area’s regeneration that will see more than 100 homes disappear.
But while Plymouth Community Homes has reached an agreement with most of the private homeowners, Sheila said she would fight it all the way.
She said: “This is my land. PCH isn’t my landlord. I’m not going to give in that easily. I’ve already written to the housing minister and Downing Street.
“I know people who have moved and are having to do repairs and redecorate their new homes.
“They’re losing out. People’s human rights have to be considered; the person being moved has to be no better off but definitely no worse off than they were. I’m not going to get anything I want for the price of my house. I have to stand up for myself. I’ve been here for 63 years and this is a threegenerational home.
“It’s awful to have to uproot, and settling somewhere else would be very difficult at my age.”
James Savage, PCH programme manager, confirmed the social housing company had recently written to its tenants with its plans.
He said Mrs Studden was a homeowner they are “very keen” to talk to.
Mrs Studden said: “They want the street emptied by 2019, but there’s no completion date until about 2024, so they’re knocking down perfectly good homes which will be stood empty for years.
“When you consider how many homeless people we have here in Plymouth, it just doesn’t seem right. There’s no logic.”
PCH says many of its tenants are moving to newly-built homes nearby and it is building more new homes for rent.
Mr Savage said: “We have recently written to our tenants in Phase 4 of North Prospect to confirm that because we intend to demolish their homes they will not be able to exercise their right to buy at their current address.
“This is something that we have done in every phase of the programme, while we are helping residents to move. The demolition notice does not affect their right to buy once they have moved.”