Angry Burngreave residents confronted council officers over the Skinnerthorpe Road demolition plans at July’s Area Panel meeting, claiming that their surveyor had been ignored by the Council and that they’ve been left in limbo awaiting a decision.
In order to work out how much compensation Skinnerthorpe Road residents should receive for the demolition of their properties as part of the Burngreave Masterplan, the houses need to be valued. Standard practice for compensation means that a value is first calculated by a surveyor hired by the Council, and this value should then be compared with one given by an independent chartered surveyor, chosen by the residents themselves, in order to arrive at a fair price.
Independent chartered surveyor, David Bell, was hired by sixteen Skinnerthorpe Road residents to value their houses. At the meeting, Mr Bell claimed that the houses have been valued by the Council’s surveyor at a “very low” price, and that his attempts to provide independent values were being hindered by council officers. He accused the Council of delaying tactics, claiming that it had taken over a month to receive replies to letters he had sent regarding his clients. He also said that the Council’s head of valuations was not prepared to meet him to discuss the problem.
In response, Council manager, David Shepherd, said:
“The Council will always talk to people and their nominated agents.”
When Mr Bell said he had been asking for a meeting for a fortnight with no response,
Mr Shepherd said:
“You’ve not asked me.”
Councillor Ibrar Hussain stepped in, saying:
“If Council officials haven’t responded to you, then that’s not good enough. I will assure you that we have done all we can.”
Skinnerthorpe Road resident, Zulfquar Ali, criticised the Council for being disrespectful:
“Instead of encouraging separate valuations, his [Mr Bell’s] reputation has been put down. This is about the Council listening and residents having the right choices available. There should be a bit more respect for them, because it’s their houses being demolished.”
Immediately after the meeting, Mr Bell and Mr Shepherd met up to try and find a solution to the issue. by Jennifer McKiernan