Our village will become a ghost town if bungling council gets its way… we stand to lose everything
RESIDENTS are fearing their village will turn into a ghost town with homes being pulled down.
Disheartened locals in Westruther, Scotland, have seen the area drastically change with eviction notices being served to tenants.
Before the pandemic, tenants on Berwickshire Housing Association (BHA) were looking forward to a planned programme of upgrades to their properties.
Planning permission had also just been granted to Eildon Housing Association (EHA) for 10 family homes to be built on land across the road.
But during the summer of 2021, BHA’s tenants were told they were being evicted to allow for their homes to be pulled down.
And the unfinished neighbouring development in Eildon now also looks set to be demolished, leaving residents furious.
Grace Donaldson, 67, is the caretaker, cook and cleaner at the local primary school.
Grace, who chairs the village hall committee and is secretary of the area’s community council, has slammed the decision.
A worried Grace told the BBC: “I stand to lose everything as neither me or my husband drive.
“This has been our home for 25 years and I didn’t want to move, but they were so determined to get us out that I agreed that we’d move across the road to the Eildon development.
“That’s not happening now and they want to move us to the other side of Coldstream – 20 miles away.”
Another local, John Purves, bought his home on Edgar Road about 15 years ago.
Despite what he describes as “pressure” from BHA, he is refusing to sell his semi-detached property.
A defiant John said: “The development across the road is falling apart and there is a growing threat to the houses that are already here.
“The heart of this village is being ripped out by these housing associations.”
One family, with three children, have now left the EHA development to take an alternative home 11 miles away.
If eviction notices, which have been lodged at Jedburgh Sheriff Court, against their neighbours are successful the remaining tenants will also be forced to leave the village.
But residents are not giving up without a fight, with more than 50 villagers attending a public meeting last week to agree plans for fighting the eviction notices.
‘GREAT INJUSTICE’
Retired engineer Bruce Brown, who is secretary of Gordon and Westruther community council, said: “I feel there is a great injustice happening here.
“Just look at Grace (Donaldson) – she’s the glue that holds this village together, and she could be forced to move away.
“And from everything we have seen, there are no issues with her house.”
Westruther has already seen it’s church and pub close in recent years.
And Ally Boyle – who is chair of the local primary’s parent council – believes the school could be next.
She said: “The school is already in decline due to families moving because of the situation on Edgar Road, and neither Berwickshire or Eildon are offering homes for families to move into.
“It’s heart-breaking to watch our neighbours being put through this. The stress they are going through is unbearable.”
BHA said that it had been working with structural engineers since 2018 to figure out a solution for the Westruther properties.
Board members were told in 2021 that it would cost a whopping £128,000 per property to bring them up to the required standards.
This led to a decision that the outlay was not justifiable.
BHA claim that an offer to move across the road to Eildon’s properties was made to all tenants when the planned demolition was announced.
A BHA spokesperson said: “All remaining Edgar Road customers have secured a priority move to the newly constructed Eildon homes, when they are completed.
“It is unfortunate that there is a time lag between customers being required to vacate their existing homes due to safety concerns and the new build homes being completed.”
The association added that they had all been offered alternative accommodation but some customers had chosen to refuse it, leaving it with “no choice” but to start legal proceedings.
Meanwhile an EHA spokesperson explained: “A report will be presented to our board in August setting out the estimated costs and risks associated with the options.
“One of these options will be removing all current structural elements above ground-level and retendering the works to complete the build from the slab up.
“At this stage we are unable to advise on further arrangements until our board meet in August.”
The Scottish government has confirmed that BHA has followed guidance provided by the Scottish Housing Regulator regarding high repair costs.
Housing Minister Paul McLennan added: “I would encourage both BHA and its residents to continue in dialogue to come to a solution that is acceptable for all.”