‘Fiesta land’ proprietor in row over worth of doomed house as he cannot preserve 33 Ford vehicles
A retired lorry driver, whose home – affectionately known as “Fiesta land” – is under threat of demolition to make way for 4,000 new homes near the M5, is worried he won’t be able to afford a similar property with the compensation he’s being offered. Andrew Smith, 63, from Uckington, Gloucestershire, is extremely stressed about the situation and hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep in months.
His three-bedroom semi-detached former council house is likely to be bulldozed to make room for the massive 4,115-home Elms Park development near junction 10 of the motorway. However, Mr Smith argues that Gloucestershire County Council’s offer falls short of what he needs to secure a comparable property in the area.
He runs a business from his home, collecting, repairing, and selling Ford cars, earning it the nickname “Fiesta Land” due to the 33 vehicles currently parked there. But now, he’s been forced to put them up for sale due to his impending relocation.
READ MORE: Met Office confirms when first snow will hit UK with verdict on ‘150-mile-long blast’
Click for more of the latest news from the Daily Star
Mr Smith confesses he’s never felt this level of stress before. “I’m always on the go,”he said. “I used to work for F1 and drove articulated lorries for long hours for companies who had contracts with Benetton, Prost Grand Prix and McLaren.”
The former lorry driver plans to move his 88 year old mother in with him but fears he’ll struggle to do so with the money he’s being offered, reports the Mirror.
He wanted to build an annexe for his beloved mother and late father but the council crushed those heartfelt plans, pointing to big construction projects on the horizon. “One of the last things my father said to me was look after your mother,” he confided.
“It breaks my heart and I’ve broken down several times. I bought this house in 2002.
“I didn’t want to sell. This is all I’ve ever wanted.
“But as time has gone on… I tried to get mum and dad here.
“Everything I’ve wanted to do here. I wanted to put an annexe here but planners would never allow it because of the forthcoming Elms Park.
“I thought you know what. I’m sitting tight here until somebody makes me a sensible offer. I’ve got a mortgage to settle.”
Gloucestershire County Council has told Mr Smith that it’ll be at least a couple of years before the wrecking balls swing. He shared that most of the houses next door have been empty for a decade or more.
His pad’s ensnared in the whopping 4,115 blueprint planning permission for the Elms Park project. “Mine is the only privately owned home along here,” he declared.
“I’m not against progress but they need to make me a sensible offer. Persimmon and Bloor Homes approached me years ago. They wanted to purchase me.”
A highways worker even dropped a hint that where he lays his head might be swapped out for a roundabout or some other traffic buster.
Mr Smith reckons he’s been flashed a hefty £850,000 for his three-bed semi but says it’s peanuts considering the prime spot of his 0.2-acre plot. “They’ve offered me £850,000. You can see the cars,” he said.
“What’s out there for the equivalent amount of money is just not there. They’re taking Michael.”
He added: “I’m not selfish. They’ve told me my property is complicated because they can’t provide me with the funds to get the equivalent or the equivalent is not out there.
“I’ve even said to them, find me a plot of land. Let’s agree the figure, let’s take it off the house and I’ll get a builder to build a bungalow there so I can care for my mum.”
On the flip side, Gloucestershire County Council’s spokesperson has zipped their lips about the nitty-gritty with Mr Smith, only spilling that his patch is key for the A4019 Tewkesbury Road stretch-out. “We are currently negotiating with landowners over the purchase of their property where required to facilitate delivery of the M5 Junction 10 scheme,” the spokesperson piped up.
“In this case the land is required to enable the associated widening of the A4019 Tewkesbury Road. GCC has presented an offer to the property owner that accounts for both the valuation of the property in accordance with relevant standards and guidance and also considers relevant compensation which acknowledges the landowner’s situation.”
Hush-hush discussions are afoot regarding the purchase of land, with officials keeping schtum on the details. “These negotiations are confidential, and we cannot comment further on these. As well as widening of the A4019 Tewkesbury Road the scheme proposals will see significant improvements to M5 Junction 10 and the creation of a new road linking Junction 10 to West Cheltenham.”
They added: “The scheme proposals are necessary to unlock proposed and future housing and employment growth in West and North West Cheltenham.”
