A cleaner who is the last person living on a street of 795 abandoned properties is refusing to leave her home to make way for a new housing estate.
Sally Pannell, 50, has lived in the home for almost a decade and is fighting the council’s wishes amid fears she will be moved too far away from friends and family.
Every family which used to live on her estate has been relocated by the council, which hopes to modernise the area and build 143 new homes.
But Mrs Pannell is refusing to go – and is living in her home surrounded by derelict and empty two and three bed houses.
Sally Pannell, 50, has lived in the home for almost a decade and is fighting the council’s wishes amid fears she will be moved too far away from friends and family.
Every family which used to live on her estate has been relocated by the council, which hopes to modernise the area and build 143 new homes
She has been served legal papers from Plymouth Community Homes telling her she would have to leave by the end of March.
Her last neighbour moved out during the weekend – making Mrs Pannell the last resident remaining in North Prospect in Plymouth, Devon.
It is part of a large scale regeneration scheme in the area which will see 1,125 new ‘modern’ homes replacing 795 existing properties by 2020.
Mrs Pannell, who moved there in 2009, said: ‘I think I am being cheated.
‘When I was served the papers I felt shock really, more than anything. I know we are being bulldozed, but please help me and help me find something that I want.
‘At the minute I am self-employed and run my own little business, which means I need to be very central to Plymouth.
‘I’ve been in this house for nine years and have all my friends and family still very close to this area.
‘What I have been offered is totally impractical and unsuitable for me. It’s just not feasible for me.
The cleaner is the last person living on a street of 795 abandoned properties is refusing to leave her home to allow council bosses to build a new housing estate
Mrs Pannell’s last neighbour moved out during the weekend – making her the last resident remaining on Woodville Road in North Prospect in Plymouth, Devon
‘I pay full rent and full council tax and I think I am being cheated. I have made this a home and I have loved being here.
‘My garden is my lifeline. I spend so much time out there.
‘It’s going to feel horrible to leave because I don’t know where I am going to end up or who I am going to be living next to.
‘How far will I be from my closest? It’s a scary prospect at my age. I have to be out at the end of March, but at the moment I have nowhere to go.
‘It feels sickening, because I’ve been living with boxes for nearly seven months now, downsizing, and getting rid of possessions.’
She added: ‘Since everybody has gone it has been very quiet, but at least there is lots of parking.
Mrs Pannell says the area has become a trouble hotspot since it was abandoned with yobs regularly throwing bricks through windows and knocking down doors
‘Living in North Prospect has been wonderful. I came from the refuge and got allocated this house.
‘My daughter and myself didn’t have anything so a lovely lady across the road and my neighbour were running us baths and cooking us meals.
‘All we had were two cups and two plates, but everyone was very warm and very welcoming. It’s just been wonderful.
‘Living in North Prospect there was always that code of honour that you looked after each other. Yes, you would have the odd punch up and kids swearing or taking drugs, but you’re not going to stop that. It’s just frustrating..’
Mrs Pannell says the area has become a trouble hotspot since it was abandoned with yobs regularly throwing bricks through windows and knocking down doors.
She added: ‘It is quite scary. My biggest fear is a fire, or one of them getting hurt.’
Mrs Pannel said she has been served legal papers from Plymouth Community Homes telling her she would have to leave by the end of March
Andrew Lawrie, head of development for Plymouth Community Homes, said they have been ‘sensitively’ working with their tenant to help her move.
He said: ‘We understand Ms Pannell is strongly attached to her home and we have been working sensitively with her to help make the move as smooth as possible.
‘This has included offering her suitable homes including a two bedroom house at Plympton.
‘We have based the homes she has been offered on her housing needs and the homes she has been offered continue to be at a similar rent level.
‘We have committed to paying moving costs and compensation for the inconvenience of having to move.
‘Our aim is to match people with properties that best meet their circumstances so that they are affordable, comfortable and mean we can offer suitable homes to as many people as possible on Plymouth’s housing waiting list.’
The relocation project is part of a large scale regeneration scheme in the area which will see 1,125 new ‘modern’ homes replacing 795 existing properties by 2020