Woman's fears over forced sale of house to council

A woman has said she fears being unable to afford a new home if she is forced to sell up to the council as part of a regeneration scheme.

Blackpool Council has been awarded £90m from the government for the project, which it said would "clear up to 300 poor-quality properties" in the Revoe area and replace them with "up to 230 new, high-quality, energy-efficient homes".

Anna Penfold-Sadler lives with her partner in a three-bedroom property on Rydal Avenue.

She said the £85,000 cash offered by the council for her home, plus £15,000 compensation, would not be enough to find a similar home.

The council has said it wants to bring back the Central Drive area - one of the most deprived in England - "back to its heyday" with the regeneration project.

The authority has bought 56 properties, exchanged contracts on a further six, and has another 99 purchases either agreed or in progress, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A report to go before a meeting on Wednesday will discuss what can be done for people who feel they cannot afford to leave their homes.

The report said one focus was "on households where the main barrier to voluntary sale is financial circumstances, supported by evidence that selling their home to the council for the market value would leave them unable to purchase a reasonable and comparable replacement property in a reasonable and comparable area – even when statutory compensation is applied".

It adds: "Discretionary financial assistance is intended solely to address evidenced financial disadvantage and will not be used as a substitute for non-financial support needs."

Penfold-Sadler, who said much of her street was now boarded up, said: "We have spent a lot of money on the house and are also paying off a £47,000 mortgage.

"We've looked at other properties comparable to this, in our area, and they would cost around £120,000. We can't afford it.

"And if the house is cheaper, it would be because it will need lots of work, so we'll still be out of pocket.

"Our fear is that we could end up in a house which is not inhabitable."

She said it was a "big worry", adding: "We don't want to move out of this area, it's where our lives are."

Penfold-Sadler argued that the homes should have been renovated rather than demolished.

The Central Housing Regeneration Project is part of Blackpool's wider ambition to improve housing quality and life chances for residents living in the town's inner area and is supported by £90.4m of funding from Homes England.

Dave Flanagan, cabinet member for housing, said: "We are committed to delivering transformational change in central Blackpool and creating better quality homes and neighbourhoods for current and future generations.

"At the same time, we recognise that regeneration can be a significant change for people who live and work in the area."

He added: "These proposals are about providing clear information, practical help and additional support where needed to ensure residents, businesses and property owners are treated fairly and respectfully throughout the process."

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