Local residents on Ellerdale Street received some good news this week.
The long abandoned house at 66 Ellerdale Street has been repossessed by lenders after the owner/developer defaulted on a loan.
The locks on the property have been changed and it is now likely to be put up for auction again.
No 66 was bought at auction some time ago by a developer who quickly gutted it and removed the roof. Then the problems began.
It seems the owner then ran out of money and was unable to complete the works.
The property was abandoned and left to deteriorate through two winters. The front garden is a mountain of rubbish and weeds,
Anxious neighbours worried about the impact the dilapidated building might have on their properties were unable to make contact with the owner.
But residentds now hope someone will buy it soon and turn it back into a family home without the scaffolding and plastic sheeting.
Angry Ladywell residents demand action over abandoned house renovation on Ellerdale Street
Local residents are up in arms over a dilapidated terraced house on Ellerdale Street.
The house, No 66, was bought at auction by a developer who proceeded to gut it and take the roof off.
But he now appears to have run out of money and has abandoned the property. He is also refusing to answer calls from anxious neighbours.
“The house has just been left to deteriorate. It’s become a blight on this section of the street,” said one local resident. “The whole site is becoming increasingly unsound and it is now a dumping ground for litter.”
Neighbours are worried that after two winters without a roof the building, now open to the elements, will suffer structural damage and affect adjoining homes.
They also say the house is increasingly a disturbance with a ragged plastic tarpaulin flapping in the wind, fly tipping and loose masonry. But so far the council has declined to take action.
Residents are now aiming to run a community campaign to force action against the owner.