COUNCIL demolition plans for Clune Park could leave a property owner £13,000 in the red, it was claimed today.

The woman — who moved away from the Port estate a number of years ago but still owns a property there — says she still owes that amount of money on her mortgage.

But it’s believed she will get no financial assistance from Municipal Buildings bosses other than them possibly paying her share of demolition costs.

The property owner said: “The council is offering owners up to £12,500 but this is only for resident owners.

“As I don’t live in the flat any more I will get absolutely nothing.

“I previously tried to sell my flat but could not.

“I was stuck with it, still having to pay the mortgage and council tax every month for all these years.” The woman added: “I don’t know how the council can get away with this — how can they take my property and not give me a penny for it?

“I still owe £13,000 on my mortgage and have a letter from my mortgage provider stating I still have to pay this.

“And on top of all this the council is still taking full council tax off me.

“This is not right.

“This is absolute daylight robbery.

“I am totally disgusted that they can actually do this.” The Tele understands that home loss financial assistance will only be available to owners who will be losing their only property.

The flat owner said: “I know that a lot of the flats in Clune Park are owned by private landlords, but a lot of them are not.

“There are still a lot of decent people living there and a lot of people who own flats but could never get them sold because the council has let the area get rundown over the years and not done a thing about it.

“The council has to take some responsibility for the state of the Clune Park area.” Inverclyde Council is currently locked in a legal dispute over its plans to raze the entire estate to the ground in a £2.6m regeneration programme, with the matter due to be aired in court next month.

More than 270 objections have been lodged against the local authority’s demolition notices.

A council spokesman said: “Around 95 per cent of the flats in Clune Park are owned by people who do not live in the area and a significant number of these properties are owned — or managed — by a small number of private landlords.

“A lack of maintenance or any real investment has allowed many of these flats to fall below acceptable standards over many years even before the current structural problems were found.

“The council cannot sit back and allow people to live in such poor conditions.

“We are helping resident owners financially to move into brand new housing, we are helping with their costs and we are in turn addressing many of the problems associated with the area. The people of Clune Park have always been our priority.”