Homeless man vows to remain in £300 wooden shack he built in pricey London area
A homeless asylum seeker who built a shed by the Thames because he always wanted to live next to water has said he has no plans to move from his makeshift shack.
Shahoo Amini, originally from Iran, lives underneath Battersea Bridge near Cheyne Walk in Chelsea, and says local residents have provided him with plenty of food and drink.
Speaking to MailOnline, Mr Amini said: ’People have been very nice. I stay here. They have brought me food and coffee. It is very nice.’
The structure is not visible from the bridge or the road, and well-heeled locals say they take no issue with their new neighbour as he is tidy, polite and always cleans up after himself.
To date, he says he has not been contacted by anyone from Kensington and Chelsea Council, or Transport for London, who are responsible for the upkeep of the bridge.
‘Nobody bothers me and to be honest, you can’t even see my shed from the road because it’s hidden away,’ he told the publication.
‘I love my little place. It’s wonderful opening the windows, looking out at the Thames and letting the fresh air in. I’d rather be here than sleeping rough on the streets.’
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Mr Amini was born in the Iranian city of Mariwan and came to the UK as an asylum seeker in 2013. He speaks little English and does not currently work, but says he does not claim benefits and instead uses his savings to survive.
The Iranian, in his 40s, says he previously lived in a flat in Victoria but was evicted in March 2023, after a motorbike accident caused him to lose most of his memories and his job as a courier.
He told the Mail: ‘I wasn’t able to work but to be honest I can’t remember too much. The accident caused me a lot of physical and mental damage, especially to my long term memory. Then I got evicted and was on the streets living homeless but I can’t remember where.
‘It’s all gone. My head is not the same since this accident and I don’t remember most things about my life.’
After finding himself homeless, Mr Amini built his shed using around £300 of materials he bought from a builders yard. His home has no heating and he relies on a hot water bottle for warmth.
His shed has a pitched roof covered with a plastic sheet, and he sleeps on a hard wooden board raised above the ground of the 8ftx4ft shack, which also acts as a table and a place to store his belongings.
The shack also has two makeshift windows, which open out onto a beautiful view of the Thames.
Mr Amini showers once a week at a local gym, and uses the toilets at a nearby bus station.
When the weather is nice he sits outside on a camp chair and dines al fresco, with locals reportedly seeing him prepare complex meals which he cooks on a portable stove.
No complaints have been raised about Mr Amini’s behaviour, and there are no immediate plans to evict him from his makeshift home.
Authorities told the Mail they will reach out to support him.
A TfL spokesman said: ‘No one should be sleeping rough on London’s streets. TfL is working with the housing and rough sleeping outreach service at Kensington and Chelsea Council to help the person staying in a shed on the Battersea Bridge structure. Rough sleepers need specialist support from dedicated outreach services, to help them find a permanent route off the streets. We continue to work with outreach services to help safeguard those sleeping rough or seeking refuge on our network.’
A spokesman for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council added: ‘We cannot comment on individual cases. Our first priority is to support rough sleepers into accessing benefits, housing and other support services based on their individual needs so they have an alternative to living on the streets.
‘Our outreach team carries out night shifts multiple times a week to identify rough sleepers and help them as quickly as possible. It is a complex issue and this support is dependent on individuals wanting to work with us.’
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