Editor – I read with interest your article relating to nightmare next door and I can empathise with the residents of Heatherbloom Flats at Strone. I too have an absent neighbour/owner of the other half of my semi-detached cottage at Clachaig.
My neighbour started to renovate the cottage in 1992 with sporadic work carried out when the energy and finances were available. The owner stayed in the cottage during these renovations unless, on a couple of occasions, work was elsewhere in Argyll.
The owner moved to Colintraive more than 15 years ago and has neglected the cottage ever since, except for a small emergency roof repair to the porch, which I identified to the owner, that occurred during one of the storms about eight years ago. The porch which shares the dividing wall is now dangerous with cracked and bulging walls. It’s near to collapse and detrimental to my adjacent property. This causes me great stress and sleepless nights, especially during storm conditions in case it is the one to take it out.
Even with approaches from several parties, the owner will not sell this ignored and neglected cottage. On our last conversation in early spring this year, the owner identified that the porch would be rebuilt in the summer months. Unfortunately, I did not ask which year. Many promises but never any action.
