Thenue taken to court by homeowner over fuel bills

Thenue HousingA woman who owned a property within a block of flats which was demolished ahead of the 2014 Commonwealth Games has taken Thenue Housing Association to court over the cost of fuel bills.

Margaret Jaconelli and her family were the last remaining occupants in the Ardenlea Street tenement flat in Dalmarnock, a block which was maintained by the association.

Glasgow City Council had been negotiating with Mrs Jaconelli over mutually agreeable compensation terms and a new home since 2007 after it was granted a compulsory purchase order for the two-bedroom property.

However, Mrs Jaconelli challenged the decision and remained in her home until the family was evicted in March 2011.

Now the 57-year-old is now suing Thenue for fuel costs during her long running legal battle to stay in her home.

According to the Evening Times, the grandmother claims she noticed a big change in her costs when her upstairs neighbour moved out and the housing association put a metal grill over the windows and removed the panes.

Mrs Jaconelli claims she had to buy nine electric heaters to help heat her home had her gas fire “on 24 hours a day”.

She told Glasgow Sheriff Court: “We had to keep the house warm, because we were the only ones there it was cold.”

Thenue Housing Association admitted that the windows were removed when the metal went on and it was suggested to Mrs Jaconelli that was as a “safeguard”.

The housing association told Scottish Housing News that it could not comment as the case was ongoing.

The hearing will continue at a later date.

A previous version of this incorrectly stated that Mrs Margaret Jaconelli was a tenant of Thenue Housing.

Scottish Housing News has been asked to point out that she was never a tenant of Thenue and, in fact, was a homeowner.

We apologies for this error and are happy to set the record straight.

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