// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
'Heartbreaking': The man driven out by the UK's £5bn theme park
Seeing his neighbours' homes being demolished has almost brought Ritchie Wood to tears
Surrounded by rolling fields and lakes, Ritchie Wood's home of 11 years provided the serene village life he loved.
Yet in recent weeks, his neighbours have packed their bags and left - their houses in Kempston Hardwick, Bedfordshire, soon to be reduced to rubble.
"It's totally changed to how it used to be - it used to be lovely. We had a nice little community here, lots of wildlife, very quiet," Wood tells the BBC.
Now, as the 55-year-old looks around him in Manor Road, all he sees are empty properties. Wood knows his will be next.
His rented home lies in the middle of what will be Universal's new £5bn theme park, touted to be the UK's biggest tourist attraction when it opens in 2031.
Universal hopes to demolish these 12 homes, which lie at the heart of its planned theme park
After a long-running standoff between the developer and the residents, some of whom initially refused to leave their homes, demolition work has now started.
"I genuinely have nowhere to go", says Wood, who expects to be homeless within two months when his landlord evicts him.
"Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to afford anywhere in the area for the same sort of rent [I pay now]."