The last man standing: Retired bank worker, 66, is the ONLY person living on deserted housing estate set for demolition – but he’s refusing to move out despite council offering him £35,000 and two years’ rent to go
- Nick Wisniewski has no neighbours living beside him in flats on Stanhope Place in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire
- The eight blocks of flats and homes in Wishaw are all scheduled for demolition to allow council to redevelop
- Retired bank worker said he can’t buy elsewhere with offers from North Lanarkshire Council to buy him out
A retired bank worker is the last person living on ‘Britain’s loneliest street’ which is all due to be knocked down – but he’s refusing to move.
Nick Wisniewski, 66, has had no neighbours living beside him in the 128 flats on Stanhope Place housing estate in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, since the last of around 200 residents moved out in December.
The eight blocks of flats and other homes on Stanhope Place are all scheduled for demolition – but Nick refuses to leave despite the council’s attempts to buy him out.
North Lanarkshire Council want to demolish Stanhope Place and redevelop the area – leading officials to offer Mr Wisniewski £35,000 plus two years’ rent somewhere else if he moves, he claims.
But the retired TSB bank worker who lives there with his 35-year-old son refuses to leave as he claims the offer would not be enough to buy somewhere else, adding that he is also too old to get a mortgage.
Retired bank worker Nick Wisniewski, 66, (pictured) has had no neighbours living beside him in the 128 flats on Stanhope Place housing estate in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, since the last of around 200 residents moved out in December
The eight blocks of flats and other homes on Stanhope Place (pictured) are all scheduled for demolition
North Lanarkshire Council want to demolish Stanhope Place and redevelop the area – leading officials to offer Mr Wisniewski £35,000 plus two years’ rent somewhere else if he moves, he claims
Pictured, a boarded up doorway on Stanhope Place housing estate which is due for demolition, but Nick Wisniewski refuses to leave his home despite council requests
The retired TSB bank worker refuses to leave as he claims the offer would not be enough to buy somewhere else, adding that he is also too old to get a mortgage
Nick said: ‘The last person left in December, it’s like a ghost town now. It’s so quiet and strange being the only person living here.
‘I’m used to it now, but it can get lonely, there is no one to speak to.
‘There are eight blocks each with 16 flats in them – there used to roughly be 200 people here and you would struggle to get a parking space.
‘Now I am the only one left.’
Nick bought his flat in 2017 under the Right to Buy scheme which helped council tenants buy their homes at a discounted price.
Council chiefs offered Nick alternative accommodation in a terraced house for two years rent free which he turned down.
He said he is worried he doesn’t know where he will end up living – but doesn’t want to leave his home.
The Stanhope Place housing estate is made up of system-built houses and is estimated to have been built in the 1960s or 70s.
They are made up of factory-made concrete panels and only have a design life of around 60 years, and have been noted as poorly insulated and expensive to maintain.
It is not clear if this is one of the contributing reasons for the demolition of the estate.
Council chiefs offered Nick alternative accommodation in a terraced house for two years rent free which he turned down. Pictured, the empty flats in Stanhope Place
Nick bought his flat in 2017 under the Right to Buy scheme which helped council tenants buy their homes at a discounted price
Nick, who retired last year, said: ‘When people left they just dumped old cookers, mattresses, washing machine outside, it was a mess.
‘The council just left the flats lying empty after people moved out.
‘There is no security and people could get into the empty flats and lots of windows have been broken.
‘Thankfully I haven’t had any trouble. The grass is badly overgrown, it’s ridiculous.
‘I think the council are leaving it unkept to annoy me or in the hope I get fed up and leave.
‘They offered me £35,000 for my flat and two years’ rent free somewhere else.
‘But I am not prepared to start paying rent again and £35,000 is not enough to buy somewhere new. You’re talking £80,000 to £100,000 to get somewhere new.
The windows of Stanhope Place housing estate, pictured, are boarded up or have been smashed in. Mr Wisniewski has no neighbours and has been the only person living there since December
The 66-year-old thinks the council are ‘leaving it unkept to annoy me or in the hope I get fed up and leave’ and has denied multiple attempts to buy him out
Nick, pictured, said it would be ‘so hard’ to leave his home, and says he is worried about where he is going to end up living
‘I’m worried that I don’t know where I am going to end up living.
‘I didn’t work all my life to have my home taken from me when I am too old to get a mortgage on something else. It would be so hard to leave my home.’
A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said: ‘We fully understand this is a sensitive issue and are working closely with the resident.
‘It would not be appropriate to discuss the specific financial details, but we are working in accordance with our policies to ensure the resident receives a fair deal and to support him so that he finds suitable alternative accommodation.’
