Pensioner refuses to leave bungalow earmarked for demolition

Coun Sharon Gregory ordered officers from Bolsover Council to leave her home of 10 years, on Orchard Close, Clowne, when they visited to tell her their demolition plans.

The Clowne Parish Council member claims her garden is one of the busiest hedgehog highways in the area and she was visited by two district council employees in February under the guise of concern for the protected species.

Coun Gregory said: “They sat down and one officer had a letter with her and they were talking about hedgehogs and she said ‘it’s not something we get involved in, but arrangements could be made and they’re safe for now’.”

Knowing the area, she guessed the authority wanted to knock down her bungalow and an adjoining empty property to allow access to the land behind, which has long been earmarked for development.

When she questioned the officers, they confirmed this was the case.

“I was stunned and I said ‘well it’s in your best interest I die then isn’t it?’” she recalled.

The district council owns the parcel of land at the rear of Orchard Close, which it wants to build houses upon, but there is currently only one access point to it off Rood Lane, which it has been unable to prove ownership of.

An attempt by the authority to buy Rood Lane using a compulsory purchase order in 2019 did not go through and since then it has been looking at other ways of accessing it.

The district council confirmed that, as part of its ‘usual consultation process’, it had offered Coun Gregory alternative accommodation, as well as a financial package if she moved, including funding for removals and new carpets, all of which she refused.

The authority said it still believed it owned the section of Rood Lane giving access to the land in question, but has been ‘unable to find evidence of this’ and steps to identify any potential landowner have been unsuccessful to date.

Neighbours Eric and Jenny Blackwell, whose home on Rood Lane is next to the entrance to the land, echoed Coun Gregory’s concerns about the development.

Mrs Blackwell said: “At the end of the day Clowne is in the 21st Century, but we’re living with 19th Century infrastructure and it cannot cope with all this additional traffic they’re pushing onto people.

“We have ambulances being blocked in at times and fire engines can’t get through, putting lives at risk.”

A district council spokesman said, “We understand situations like this are upsetting and always speak to those involved to try to address any concerns and help with any potential relocation expenses.

“A CPO is the last resort and we have tried to work with Coun Gregory throughout the process.

“We have a shortage of properties across Bolsover district and with more than 1,000 people on our housing waiting list and government targets to achieve, we have to do all we can with the assets we have available to help meet our local communities needs and provide them with good quality, suitable accommodation.”

Coun Gregory has sworn to fight any attempts to remove her from her home, stating that whenever the authority calls her about it she always ends the conversation by telling them to “get ready”.