Offer for house on abandoned Birmingham street 'still not enough'

Carl Harris said the council "want the property but they don't want to pay for it"

A man living on an abandoned street said a new offer from the council to buy his home was still not enough.

Carl Harris, 64, is the last resident on Gildas Avenue in Birmingham, which the city council wants to redevelop.

The authority has offered him £140,000, but Mr Harris said he needs at least £200,000 to afford a home similar to his four-bed semi of 30 years.

The council said it hoped an agreement could be negotiated but would consider a compulsory purchase order.

Carl Harris said he was offered £120,000 for his home, which is seen on the left of two semi-detached houses

According to property website Rightmove, homes in Kings Norton, where Gildas Avenue is, sold for an average of £231,873 over the last year.

The majority of sales during the last year were semi-detached properties, selling for an average price of £262,710.

Mr Harris, a driver for National Express, has had a number of offers from the council - starting at £95,000, then rising to £120,000 and now £140,000.

"The problem is it keeps moving," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Carl Harris is the last resident on Gildas Avenue, which is otherwise abandoned

"The offer they are going to make me now - if they had made that at the beginning, I would have found houses around that price three or four years ago."

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The council wants to demolish his home to make way for a 117-home estate. Mr Harris said he went to see two properties on a completed part of the development and both were "significantly smaller" than his current home and priced at £200,000.

He said getting a like-for-like property would probably cost "upwards of £400,000" which he does not think he will get.

He said: "They want me to downsize. There is nothing for of that size for the price they are offering. I am not getting a mortgage again. I don't see why I should sell all my stuff to appease the council."

A council spokesperson said: "Birmingham Property Services officers continue to negotiate with Mr Harris on a voluntary basis.

"It is hoped agreement can be reached through this negotiation, however if not, it is proposed that a compulsory purchase order be made on this property."