'Fiesta land' owner in row over price of doomed home leaving him with nowhere for his 33 Ford cars

Andrew Smith, 63, fears he won't be able to buy a similar house for the amount of money he is being offered - he says the row has forced him to sell his beloved cars

A former truck driver, whose home known as "Fiesta land" is under threat of demolition to pave way for 4,000 homes near the M5, fears he won't be able to afford a similar house with the compensation he's being offered. Andrew Smith, 63, who resides in Uckington, Gloucestershire, admits he's extremely stressed about the situation and said he hasn't had a decent night's sleep in months.

His three-bedroom semi-detached former council house is likely to be bulldozed to make room for the massive 4,115-home Elms Park development near junction 10 of the motorway. However, Mr Smith argues that Gloucestershire County Council's offer falls short of what he needs to secure a comparable property in the area.

He runs a business from his home where he collects, repairs, and sells Ford cars, earning it the nickname "Fiesta Land" due to the 33 vehicles currently parked there. But now, he's been forced to put them up for sale due to his impending relocation.

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Mr Smith confesses he's never felt this level of stress before. "I can't shut down" he said, "I used to work for F1 and drove articulated lorries for long hours for companies who had contracts with Benetton, Prost Grand Prix and McLaren."

The former lorry driver plans to move his 88-year-old mother in with him but fears he'll struggle to do so with the money he's being offered, reports Gloucestershire Live.

He had hoped to build an annexe for his mother and late father, but the council dashed his dreams, citing upcoming redevelopment plans. "One of the last things my father said to me was look after your mother," he shared. "It breaks my heart and I've broken down several times. I bought this house in 2002."

"I didn't want to sell. This is all I've ever wanted."

"But as time has gone on... I tried to get mum and dad here."

"Everything I've wanted to do here. I wanted to put an annexe here but planners would never allow it because of the forthcoming Elms Park."

"I thought you know what. I'm sitting tight here until somebody makes me a sensible offer. I've got a mortgage to settle."

Mr Smith has been informed by Gloucestershire County Council that there are no immediate plans to demolish the properties for another two years. He noted that most of the neighbouring homes have been vacant for up to a decade.

His home is included in the pending 4,115 outline planning application for Elms Park. "Mine is the only privately owned home along here," he stated.

"I'm not against progress but they need to make me a sensible offer. Persimmon and Bloor Homes approached me years ago. They wanted to purchase me."

A highways worker even hinted to him that his current residence might be replaced with a roundabout or traffic calming measure.

Mr Smith claims he's been offered a cool £850,000 for his three-bedroom semi, but insists it's not enough given the prime location of his 0.2-acre plot. "They've offered me £850,000. You can see the cars," he said.

"What's out there for the equivalent amount of money is just not there. They're taking Michael."

He continued, "I'm not selfish. They've told me my property is complicated because they can't provide me with the funds to get the equivalent or the equivalent is not out there."

Mr Smith even proposed, "I've even said to them, find me a plot of land. Let's agree the figure, let's take it off the house and I'll get a builder to build a bungalow there so I can care for my mum."

Meanwhile, a Gloucestershire County Council spokesperson has kept tight-lipped about their dealings with Mr Smith, only noting that his land is crucial for the A4019 Tewkesbury Road expansion. "We are currently negotiating with landowners over the purchase of their property where required to facilitate delivery of the M5 Junction 10 scheme," the spokesperson remarked.

"In this case the land is required to enable the associated widening of the A4019 Tewkesbury Road. GCC has presented an offer to the property owner that accounts for both the valuation of the property in accordance with relevant standards and guidance and also considers relevant compensation which acknowledges the landowner's situation."

Talks over buying the land are ongoing behind closed doors. "These negotiations are confidential, and we cannot comment further on these. As well as widening of the A4019 Tewkesbury Road the scheme proposals will see significant improvements to M5 Junction 10 and the creation of a new road linking Junction 10 to West Cheltenham."

"The scheme proposals are necessary to unlock proposed and future housing and employment growth in West and North West Cheltenham."