Council order to buy Kings Norton man's house in abandoned street

Carl Harris said Birmingham City Council was being "inflexible"

A man living on an abandoned street has vowed to fight his local council after it issued an order to buy his home.

Carl Harris, 65, is the last resident on Gildas Avenue, in Kings Norton, which Birmingham City Council wants to redevelop.

Originally offered £95,000, he has been issued with a compulsory purchase order of £155,000, but he said it was not enough for a similar city property.

The authority said it would continue to explore options available to Mr Harris.

Mr Harris owns the semi-detached house in an area planned to accommodate 117 new social housing properties.

Mr Harris has lived in his home on Gildas Avenue for 30 years

After years of debate, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said, Mr Harris has now been served with the order, a legal mechanism which allows public bodies to acquire land without the consent of the owner.

He has since objected on the grounds he cannot find another similar property in the city for the price being offered.

Mr Harris said he would have to relocate to Wolverhampton, Telford or Derby to find a suitable property, but would then have travel costs for work and to see his family.

He claims the other options offered to him are for him to become a council tenant, which would mean he would have to pay rent, or shared ownership of another property which would put him in debt.

Mr Harris said he would face costs to get to work and to see family, including his son Adam, if he left Birmingham

The dispute could now go to either a public inquiry or written representations procedure and then the High Court if the inspector's decision is not accepted.

Mr Harris said the authority was being "inflexible" and had rejected his suggestions it provides him with a council-owned house or sell the property at auction.

A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said the price offered "reflects current market value".

"It had been hoped agreement could be reached through this negotiation but unfortunately that has not been the case so a compulsory purchase order has been made on this property," it said.