London neighbour wants next-door 'eyesore' to come down, but city won't say when

On Redan Street, located off Hamilton Road in East London, Ont., it's a tale of two houses. 

At No. 21 is the two-bedroom house Becky Thompson shares with her partner. It's a charming and well-maintained one-storey yellow brick bungalow with tulips in bloom and a "for sale" sign on the front lawn. 

Next door at No. 19 is another bungalow, but it has a crumbling roof, plywood-covered windows and a metal security fence that encircles the front of the property. There's garbage in the yard and the structure shows other signs of extreme neglect. 

Thompson has lived at No. 21 for three years. When she moved in, there were neighbours at No. 19 who she said kept to themselves. Then about a year ago, it appeared her neighbours had moved out.

Soon after and with the house apparently abandoned, Thompson said people began to use No. 19 and its backyard as a place to sleep and use drugs. They came and went at all hours and the garbage began to pile up and often drifted into her yard. 

"There's holes in the roof and holes in the floors," said Thompson. "It's very unsafe for anyone." 

Gas leak

Early last year, fire crews were called to a gas leak at No. 19. For a few hours, gas service to the entire street was shut off until the leak was fixed.

The house and its problems are on the radar at London City Hall.

Ward 1 Coun. Hadleigh McAlister confirmed to CBC News that the house is on a list of city structures to be demolished. 

"Utilities are being disconnected and I believe they are in the tendering process for a demolition contractor for as soon as possible to tear it down," McAlister said in a text message.

The demolition was approved by city council in November following a report by the property standards division. Photos of the house included in the report showed holes in the roof structure and bare studs where the wall panelling had been ripped away. The staff report said the house was the subject of a property standards violation order from July 2023 that had since expired. 

In an email to CBC News on Thursday, Orest Katolyk, who heads bylaw compliance for the city, said a "pre-demolition designated substance survey" must be completed before the demolition goes ahead to ensure any hazardous materials on the property are safely disposed of. 

"This file remains active and all costs related to the demolition are at the property owner's expense," said Katolyk. "Scheduling of the demolition by a city contractor has not been finalized at this time." 

The name registered as the property owner with the city tax office is Ian Patrick Fegan. CBC News was unable to reach him. 

Regular fire inspections

A spokesperson for the fire department told CBC News that 19 Redan St. is on a list of vacant buildings that are regularly inspected to make sure they're secure.

While Thompson is happy to hear the house is coming down and grateful for the regular inspections, she'd like a firm demolition date from the city. She'd like to give that date to a prospective buyer of her house. She also said her neighbours are anxious to know when the house is coming down.

"A neighbour on the other side of this house, she's been here for 30 years. She'd like to see this house gone. It's an eyesore," said Thompson.

For now, she's hoping for a smooth sale. An open house is planned for this weekend. She said she's going to continue to raise the issue with the city until her moving date in August.

"We don't deserve to be looking at this," said Thompson. "The people that abandoned this home, it's a shame that they left it for us to deal with and for the city to deal with."