Sponsored by
Elderly couple fighting road development will be forced to leave home on Friday
Wednesday, 6pm - AN ELDERLY couple fighting to save their home from a road development have been told to be out by noon on Friday.
Wednesday, 6pm - AN ELDERLY couple fighting to save their home from a road development have been told to be out by noon on Friday.Noel and Shirley Sims, 75 and 72, are being forced to leave their home of 36 years in Bourne Road, Colsterworth, to make way for a sliproad as part of improvements on the A1.
The Highways Agency wants to take the house today to finish work at Colsterworth and says this is delaying the scheme of improvements between Peterborough and Blythe.
Mr and Mrs Sims want 600,000 to leave and are unhappy with the compensation deal offered by the agency but do not know what they are going to do.
Mr Sims says they can't move until they have money to buy a bungalow in Stainby Road, Colsterworth, but refused an offer to speed up 90 per cent of the payment fearing it would prejudice future talks.
The couple are moving their belongings into a workshop, which is on the site and not covered in the deal, and could end up living in there in a mobile home or travelling in another caravan.
They also believe that friends with lorries will be coming down to baracade them in.
Mr Sims said: "We are not sure where we are going yet until they start to come enforce their rules and regulations.
"Until we get the money we can't move, I'm not spending my money to take out of investments.
"If they pay me a cheque, we have got to get the money to buy the house. If they evict us we have no option but to live in the caravan."
The house was made subject to a compulsary purchase order in February 2007 as a result of a public inquiry the year before.
The agency has not revealed details of the compensation deal other than it will include the value of the house and a 10 per cent home loss payment. But the Sims are not happy, claiming that they were offered 780,000 in 2002.
Highways have served two notices to treat and enter, which lets the couple know they want to take possession.
Senior highways manager Colin Chadwick hopes the couple will leave voluntarily otherwise the agency will use an enforcement process.
He said the agency has tried to handle the matter sensitively and staff helped the couple by finding and showing them alternative properties.
He said: "They have until midday to decide what they are going to do, hopefully to give vacant possession of the property.
"If they don't that leaves us with no choice but to use the enforcement officer process to gain possession of the property so we can get on with the construction.
"I am really sad we have come to this position."
Do you think the Sims are right to try and stay in their home or should they move on and let the work progress? Click here to email your views.
E-mail your news and views to comment@granthamjournal.co.uk
Don't forget your copy of the Grantham Journal this Friday!
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Grantham
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Fog
Temperature: -6 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -6 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.