A HOMEOWNER who refused to move when the council threatened to demolish his home says his defiance has paid off.
Charlie Wright, 71, was born and raised in the four-bed mid-terrace – which he bought from the council for just £6,000 around 30 years ago.
When he was offered a whole new property – and a £2,000 bonus – so developers could tear it down and build a new estate around a decade later, Charlie refused.
Now, hundreds of swanky, desirable properties have sprung up around his Birkenhead, Wirral, home – and his property price has soared to a cool £250,000.
"My mum and dad would be proud of me for digging my heels in and staying put,” he told the Sun.
"I told them right at the start that I wouldn’t move out and I stuck to that. Whatever they offered me, I just kept turning it down".
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Developers came knocking 16 years ago as they prepared to bulldoze the estate and replace it with a series of uniform new builds.
One by one, Charlie’s neighbours took the money on offer and moved out. But he wouldn’t budge.
"At one point they said: ‘Look Charlie, we’ll make a deal with you. Take a look around the town and if you find a house you like we’ll do a straight swap’.
"I did actually look at one place that looked across the Mersey to the Liver buildings, but it still didn’t tempt me.
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"I told them straight – that I’d been born here and I wasn’t going to move.
"Mum and dad raised all nine of their children here and we all loved it. Even now I see it as part of the family.
REFUSED TO BUDGE
"It was Margaret Thatcher who gave ordinary people the right to buy their council houses, so I told the developers there was nothing to think about. I’d never sell."
Charlie lived for years in a solitary house with only the remnants of two derelict properties for company.
Year by year, hundreds of new houses were built within sight of his bright yellow front door.
The former oil worker was nearly forced out when a burglar set about him with a hammer.
He went into hospital as the owner of a four-bed terrace.
By the time he was well enough to come out he found himself the owner of a newly-detached house with the derelict shells next door stripped away.
My mum and dad would be proud of me for digging my heels in and staying put.
His house was repainted to help it blend in with the snazzy new properties nearby – but his bright yellow door remained untouched.
"I’ve even got a driveway," said Charlie.
There’s also a palm tree in the front garden and a St George’s flag flying proudly next to it.
Nearby show houses have been upmarket names like The Knightsbridge and The Bamburgh. Charlie’s place is just plain No. 8.
“One of the neighbours paid £125,000 for his little house.
"But it’s tiny compared to mine. This is the only four-bedroom detached on the estate, so I reckon it must be worth well over £200,000”.
Charlie fondly recalls the "magical moment" of being driven into the street to find the developers had put the finishing touches to his new upmarket home.
“It’s great, isn’t it? And this little area is such a brilliant place to live.
"I’ve got the railway station around the corner, and there’s an Asda and Iceland too. Birkenhead Park is just up the road.
“Some of my neighbours were raised around here, and when the houses across from me are built it will be wonderful.
"I feel part of the community again."
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Charlie – who is busy restoring his back garden to its former glory – added: "I’m pleased as punch that I’ve stayed. It just shows that if you dig your heels in you can win.
"I feel very proud of myself – and I think mum and dad would be made up."
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