Last man standing at Scots flats vows to stay put as legal action against him begins

Retired bank worker Nick Wisniewski has been living on his own in a derelict four-storey building for the last three years.

The last man standing in a block of flats due to be demolished is vowing to stay put despite councillors starting legal action against him.

Retired bank worker Nick Wisniewski has been living on his own in a derelict four-storey building for the last three years. The local authority wants to demolish the property and surrounding blocks as part of a major regeneration project in Wishaw, Lanarkshire.

But Nick, 68, is unhappy with the compensation he’s been offered. North Lanarkshire Council’s planning committee yesterday agreed to promote a compulsory purchase order so that the Gowkthrapple estate redevelopment can go ahead.

Speaking at his ground floor flat, Nick said: “I’m sticking it out until I hear from the council.” He has lived there for 22 years and bought his flat from the council in 2017 so he wouldn’t have to worry about paying rent during his retirement.

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He has turned down an offer of £35,000 from the council to buy it back, saying he wouldn’t be able to purchase a new home with that sum and has also rejected a move to a rented property. The council wants to demolish 428 flats in Gowkthrapple and replace them with up to 300 homes.

It has rehoused tenants and reached agreement with other residents who owned their flats. Pamela Humphries, head of planning and regeneration, pledged there would be “appropriate compensation” for Nick and stressed: “The council will continue to try to negotiate with him for voluntary acquisition in parallel with the CPO process.”

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