Home owners forced to sell-up to be offered better price (From Your Local Guardian)

Sutton council considers offering more to home-owners forced to sell-up

2:20pm Wednesday 15th August 2012 in Top Stories By James Pepper

Homeowners being forced to sell their homes back to the council have celebrated a council u-turn.

Although Sutton Council still plan to go ahead with the purchase and destruction of 20 homes to build new council houses, it is considering offering homeowners a better deal after concerted pressure.

At a meeting of the Orlit Homeowners Association - which formed after residents felt the council were trying to force them out of their homes on the cheap - council officials finally gave way.

Simon Latham, executive head of community living, told the group on last night the council would look to see if they could swap their homes for one on the St Helier Estate.

He said: "Perhaps we can look at whether the swap option could be applied to a St Helier homes. We will have to go through it with the lawyers, but we can explore extending the swap to a St Helier property."

Until now, the homeowners who bought heir homes under the right to buy scheme in the 1980s, had been told they can either take the council's monetary offer or swap their home for one of the new ones.

Councillor Jane McCoy, executive member for housing, admitted to the group the new houses will be smaller than their current ones.

She said: "If you currently own a three bedroom house, we will offer you a three bedroom house in return, it will probably be slightly smaller if I'm being honest."

David Gumble, who has lived on Green Wrythe Lane for 27 years and is considering taking out a loan to finish paying for his mortgage said: "You are kicking me out of my home and the CPO rules state I should not be worse off, but I certainly will be. I have a nice big garden, three big bedrooms, and you want to give me a box. These are our homes."

For the first time, Rick Martinez - who is in charge of the regeneration of Nightingale Close, Green Wrythe Crescent, Fellowes Road and Duke of Edinburgh Road - outlines the council plans.

Sutton council announced it will knock down 54 homes in the area and build 87 in their place, all of which will be available to rent.