Legal help for Tumbledown homeowners

West Lothian Council wants to demolish the remaining 51 homes in Deans South in Livingston to redevelop the area as most of the houses have serious structural damage.

Homeowners have refused to move out as they are unhappy at the level of financial compensation they have been offered.

Now the council is to seek a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to force the sale of the homes in the latest stage of the long-running saga.

It is not known how much the residents will get for their homes but it was previously suggested they had been offered around 48,000 each.

More than 180 council tenants who lived on the estate have already been re-housed since faults were found in 2004. General conditions on the estate are deteriorating.

The council is also proceeding with the demolition of most of the empty homes, which are littered throughout the estate making redevelopment difficult.

Sean Milligan, chairman of the Deans South Homeowners Association (DSHA), said the CPO was not a surprise.

He added: "We are waiting for advice and guidance on what we will do next from our legal representatives who we are meeting with tomorrow.

"This is not about money or anything like that, it's about justice. As far back as 1998 the council were carrying out structural repairs on houses in Deans South. These last five years have been very frustrating and there are still a lot of underlying issues to be answered.

"We will have to see what our legal department says before any decision is taken on this development. It is a very complex and unique situation.

"Approving the compulsory purchase order is the first step in the process for the council and it could take at least two years to acquire the houses in order to redevelop the estate."

Executive councillor for communities Frank Anderson said: "We recognise that this has been an extremely difficult time for everyone involved.

"In order to redevelop the Deans South estate it is necessary to acquire all of the interests either voluntarily or compulsorily.

"As it has not been possible to reach voluntary agreements with the private owners, primarily because it remains impossible to reach agreement on the level of financial compensation payable, it is proposed to progress with making a formal compulsory purchase order.

"Other interests including those of Castle Rock Housing Association will also be acquired."