Sighthill Flats Demolition (29th November), Some Youtube videos of Springburn demolition Options

[GG]

From the BBC:

Three double multi-storey blocks of flats have been demolished during an early morning controlled explosion. The buildings at Fountainwell Avenue, Fountainwell Square and Fountainwell Terrace in Springburn, Glasgow, came down at about 0230 GMT on Sunday.

The decision to demolish the flats was taken by Glasgow Housing Association (GHA). The body is undertaking an extensive programme of demolition and building works over the next 15 to 20 years.

Here's some Youtube videos of the event:

And from last year:

GG.

[27stowst]

Astounding!!

[Rabbie]

Sad in some ways. I remember these going up.

[tamhickey]

I watched this from my window. What I found sad about it was that this leaves even less social housing available in this area. I wonder if the council are planning to rebuild some more social housing in their place, or will it be a landgrab by private housebuilding companies?

[Rabbie]

I vote for landgrab.

[*katie spence*]

i just thought this was so sad n i cried my eyes out because i was born and bred in byshot street in possil and sighthill flats were my view all of my life. our horizon has changed forever. but wasnt it an amazing sight to see!!!! so cleverly done.

[Weir45]

I second that Rabbie.

[*stew*]

I was the first baby girl born in Fountainwell Square, 41 years ago. I had so much fun growing up in the flats, all my friends all lived in the flats. The Cunningham,s 12th floor,Sextons 8th floor, Gow,s 18th floor, Barretts 2nd floor, Stewart,s 6th floor, Macintosh,s 6th floor, the list of people i could go on. Alas Sighthill had changed no more friendly faces. I still have great memory,s all the games we used to play, and the views well what can i say! Farewell Sighthill.

[GG]

Here's what Jim Sneddon, Executive Director of Regeneration of the GHA, had to say about the £2.75million demolition:

"The thing people forget about is that these wee boxes contained people's lives and that all these things happened here like people dying or falling in love, so it's quite an emotional time.

The reason for the demolition is that these types of flats have become unpopular and now there is a fairly diminishing demand for people wanting to live in multi-storey flats.

What were trying to do now, when we're designing housing, is to try to think about how people live their lives. It's less to do with the buildings and more to do with the people.

There's a massive redevelopment plan for the whole area. It's a big area of the city to change and you're talking about a long-term programme. We're retaining two of the towers because there's still a desire to live in some of them, although not as much as there used to be.

People want to be closer to the ground, with a front and back garden, and high-rise flats don't have much of a future as the standard of social renting housing we are producing is much better now."

GG.

[GG]

Just to balance the GHA official line, there are good pages here:

http://citystrolls.com/articles/what-glasg...t-wish-to-hear/

http://citystrolls.com/articles/social-hou...-privatisation/

Which tells of the anger of local people at alleged duplicity and disinformation by GHA over a number of years, specifically claiming that:

GHA Ltd have deliberately run-down Fountainwell by: -

• NOT investing in repairs; leakages; dampness; clearing graffiti or rubbish;
• Threatening to remove the 24-hour concierge service leaving no night cover.
• NOT letting to new tenants since January 2005 and getting others moved out
• Sealing off whole landings with metal shutters in 2/4 Fountainwell Terrace
• Offering up F'well as a site for Glasgow's 2014 Commonwealth Games Bid

GG.

[GG]

VHE has landed the job to deliver a £11m major remediation scheme Sighthill

The design and build contract covering 50 hectares paves the way for the redevelopment of the Sighthill area with almost 800 new homes, road and pedestrian bridges, a new school and sports campus as well as student accommodation.

Civil engineering firms are presently being asked to prequalify by the end of this week for a further £75m infrastructure package know as contract 2.

Initial infrastructure work, including land remediation, bulk earthworks and engineering, is expected to last five years.

VHE landed contract 1 after building a strong track record in the city having previously carried out major remediation projects for Commonwealth Games Athletes Village site and successfully treating Hexavalent Chromium at Shawfield.

The Sighthill project will see the remediation of historical contamination both ex-situ and in-situ in particular Galligu and will also see demolition, deep grouting, drainage diversions and infrastructure works.

Works starts on site this month.

I walked passed the only two remaining blocks – Crawfurd Heights (31-35 Pinkston Drive) and Hartfield Heights (32-34 Pinkston Drive) – tonight and saw only two lights on in the huge slab blocks. It looks like the class cleansing of Sighthill to profit private companies, their rich shareholders (and some allege Glasgow city councillors) will start soon.

Another despicable chapter in the continuing disgrace that is Glasgow Labour.

GG.

[ktv]

social cleansing is happening all over the uk.

even cameron is getting involved now wanting to demolish all the estates (instead of spending the money to do them up they just knock them down and punt the land to private developers) and what with the tories yesterday voting down a move to ensure houses are of a liveable standard then it will only lead to more land grabs of council estates for the sake of private owners.
the existing tenants are now even more likely to be forcibly shifted into sub standard homes