THE missing owner of an abandoned bungalow has reappeared to stop it from being sold in an unprecedented move to recover thousands of pounds of council tax debt.
Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) had spent several years trying to trace James Doran, who owns Avondale in Farndon, but to no avail.
However, following last week’s front page of The Chronicle’s country edition, Mr Doran has come out of the woodwork.
CWaC had been all set to be granted an order at the Chester Civil Justice Centre so they could sell the property – worth about £250,00 – to recover unpaid council tax.
But on Tuesday afternoon – the day before the scheduled hearing – Mr Doran made contact with the authority to settle his £3,500 debt and to pay more than £700 costs.
A CWaC spokesman said: “Now that the council’s private sector housing team has a point of contact for the owner, officers will contact him to discuss options for bringing the bungalow back into use and we will offer whatever assistance we can to achieve this aim.
“This may involve either the owner renovating the property and grounds for sale or carrying out the work so that the bungalow can be let through a managing agent because he does not live in the area.”
Mr Doran bought the Barton Road property eight years ago but hadn’t been seen at the bungalow since moving out shortly after.
In 2009, he failed to respond to a council notice demanding that he remove waste, debris and weeds from his overgrown grounds, which were described as an ‘eyesore’ by Farndon Parish Council.
CWaC did not feel they were in a position to pass on Mr Doran’s contact details when The Chronicle approached them in a bid to speak to him.
