An 82-year-old woman waiting years to be rehoused is one of the last three people living in a ghost tower block in Irvine.
Heather Richmond is surrounded by boxes of her belongings packed up and ready to go on the 10th floor of Lugton Court.
Her life has been on hold in the eerie building since 2018 when the first tenants began to be relocated by North Ayrshire Council.
The flats are to be demolished — with the council relocating people from the 275 flats in the five blocks. Heather has watched them all go.
Tears fall before she braces herself to talk about the experience of living in the abandoned building with her daughter Beverly, 62.
Suffering from COPD and struggling to walk, Heather can’t actually get out of the flat these days — which impacts her quality of life.
The great great grandmother said: "I have had blackouts and am scared to go out. There is no extractor fan. It is terrible.
"I double lock my door. I have heard strange tapping noises. I don’t feel there is empathy or sympathy. I am terrified."
She has been on the housing waiting list since 2014 — and is desperate to leave.
The elderly lady is under the impression she was a priority for finding a new place. But she is one of the last remaining residents.
The widow, who was married to Robert for almost 40 years, is fighting for a three-bedroom house in the Castlepark area for herself and family.
But the council said it can take longer for specific types of properties to become available.
Heather wants to be near her daughter Rosemary in the area — who has had cancer.
The council has offered her homes elsewhere but she said they are not suitable. It was recommended she go into a care home, which she is is strongly against.
Heather said: “Why should I be told what area I have to live in. They don’t seem to want me to live in Castlepark. They have offered me homes further away from Castlepark.”
The former administrator and screenprinter was involved in the community as a member of the housing committee. She has happy memories and remembers the flats bustling with residents in the past.
Reflecting on the past, she said: “They are all gone now.”
A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “While we generally don’t comment on individual tenants, we can confirm that we are working to ensure our remaining high flats residents are rehomed.
“We have been keen to ensure that tenants are rehomed in a property which meets their needs and in locations they have requested. In some cases, it may take slightly longer for such a property to become available.
“This has been a huge undertaking and we are pleased that the vast majority of tenants have already settled into their new homes. In the meantime, we will continue to work with the remaining residents to find suitable new properties.”
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