A HOMEOWNER is preparing for his “Last Christmas” at a bungalow which is just eight feet away from falling into the sea due to massive coastal erosion.

The semi-detached two bedroom property at Knipe Point was worth £160,000 just two years ago, but after huge landslips hit the area the house was put up for sale for just £3,000.

Last Friday the Evening News reported that an extra 20ft of land at Knipe Point had slipped away in the past few weeks.

Even at that knock-down price it attracted few offers until enterprising local artist Kane Cunningham spotted it and saw it as the ideal temporary studio and blank canvas.

He has filmed spectacular sunrises, used the now tiny garden to paint stunning landscapes and has even drawn on the walls of the house before it will plunge hundreds of feet down to be resigned to the North Sea.

To show how precarious the property’s situation is, on Friday, residents woke to find another 20 feet of land had collapsed.

But Mr Cunningham, 49, is determined to bring some festive cheer to the area and has put up a 6ft Christmas tree for what he is sure will be the last time.

He said: “It could go at any time – tonight, in three days or in three months.

“This latest incident shows what we are dealing with and how serious the situation is – the house might not even see Christmas and the tree would plunge hundreds of feet. The situation is worsening by the day.

“I couldn’t resist buying the tree, I doubt there will be a more picturesque or unlikely location for a Christmas tree in the whole of the UK. I would certainly be very surprised if it made it to another Christmas, but I wanted to try and make the most of the house because I will miss it when it’s gone.

“This reminds you that nature is something you have to respect, it had laid dormant over the summer, leading everyone in to a false sense of security.

“Over the last year it has been an ideal studio and blank canvas for me – where else would I be able to paint directly on to the walls?

“It’s a true live art project which I’ve titled ‘The Last Post’.

“It also represents to me all sorts of ideas to do with the credit crunch and mortgages and the environment.

‘It’s the perfect site – a stark reminder of lost dreams, financial disaster and threatening sea levels. It’s global recession and global warming encapsulated.”

Other than its location, the property is in full working order with running water, electricity and is furnished with a sofa and dining table.

Mr Cunningham even held a ‘Last Supper’ at the house earlier this year – including former cabinet minister Clare Short – to toast the property and also discuss climate change.

He added: “The bottom line is that Knipe Point is a story of human misery, but we want to get something more creative and positive out of it.”

Story in the Scarborough Evening News

A landscape artist has bought a house teetering on a cliff edge so he can document its demise.

Three properties have already had to be demolished on safety grounds because of a landslip at Knipe Point, overlooking Cayton Bay near Scarborough.

Kane Cunningham has paid £3,000 for the next bungalow set to fall over the cliff and will film its end.

He said the house symbolised “lost dreams, financial disaster and threatening sea levels”.

The house was sold to Mr Cunningham by Tony Charlesworth, who has moved into another bungalow nearby.

Last sunrise

Mr Charlesworth, 76, said: “I was resigned to going. [The landslip] happened in April 2008 and little bits have been falling off ever since.

“I was quite happy for him to have it. I know it sounds silly, you pay £150,000 for a bungalow and sell it for £3,000 but it’s just the way things have happened.

“He’s a very enterprising chap, I hope it works out for him.”

Mr Cunningham, 48, lives in Scarborough and is a lecturer in fine art.

He said: “I’m going to rig the house with cameras and film the last sunrise before nature claims its bounty.

“It’s the perfect site-specific installation – a stark reminder of lost dreams, financial disaster and threatening sea levels.

“It’s global recession and global warming encapsulated.

“This little house is feet away from the edge of the cliff – it can go at any moment.”

Mr Cunningham is using the house as a studio until it collapses so he can paint the views over Cayton Bay.

Story on BBC News