Morpeth eco-home retirement dream hit by vandalism

Fred Luzanycia was born and grew up in the town. Most of his adult life was spent working abroad, but he always came back whenever he could to see family.

In 2014, he bought one of the Borehole Cottages to the east of the town centre. It had been unoccupied for many years, so an extensive renovation is required.

He took it on as a project to create his retirement ‘eco-home’ using solar panels and a back-up generator to power it.

But the dream has turned into a nightmare over the last few years and so he is turning to the Morpeth community for help.

Covid-19 restrictions meant that he was unable to travel from Austria, where he currently lives. And, more recently, graffiti has appeared on the outhouses and the walls.

In addition, his property has been affected by a recent report of arson at a neighbouring property.

But Fred is not giving up and he is asking if anyone can assist him with the clean-up and/or provide advice on how best to proceed with the project.

The 70-year-old said: “The cottages stand in a beautiful location not far from the town. There is a lot of interest in the country now with regard to creating ‘sustainable’ homes and reducing energy costs, and my aim was to make it into an eco-home for my retirement.

“Covid restrictions meant I had to put the project on hold and I actually carried on working and only retired last year. But the plan at the start of this year now I was able to return to the UK was to make frequent trips to Morpeth and try to get some momentum going.

“However, I noticed some graffiti when I was at the site in January and sadly each time I’ve come back it has got worse.

“Then what appears to be an arson at the neighbouring property has also affected mine. This and the graffiti have been reported to the police and county council.

“This could have been a model for people interested in undertaking a small-scale project but I have to admit that lately, I’ve been thinking that the project is not going to happen as the on-going vandalism is making the project really difficult to complete.

“However, I’m hoping that the local community can keep my eco-home return to Morpeth dream alive.

“I will be putting up new fencing and improving security, but if anyone can help me with the clean-up, or can give me advice about my next steps with this project, please contact me by email – [email protected]

“It would be fantastic to turn a negative situation into a positive one.”

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “We are aware of a report of criminal damage relating to graffiti in the Borehole area of Morpeth.

“Anyone with information can contact police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or by calling 101.”