Residents fight to save Glasgow high-rise flats
- Published
GMB's Glasgow convenor Chris Mitchell and Wyndford resident Sean O'Neill
A group of flat residents are fighting to save four high-rise tower blocks in north-west Glasgow.
Wheatley Homes owns the 600 properties and says the majority of tenants support knocking them down - but some residents claim otherwise.
The Wyndford Residents Union wants the housing association to modernise the flats in the city's Maryhill area instead of flattening them.
Demolition work is due to start in spring, with plans for 300 new homes.
Sean O'Neill, from the residents' union, has been campaigning to save the blocks for two years.
He said some people were living in vacant properties in a "political occupation" of the flats.
Last week a police incident at one flat led to the arrest of six people in connection with vandalism.
Mr O'Neill told the BBC's Drivetime programme: "We've had public meetings, we've tried to negotiate with the housing association, but it was an inevitable consequence of their refusal to negotiate with the people.
"We don't want to see the community gentrified. We want the right to social housing for working people and their families."
He said the protest action had intensified as the demolition date approaches.
"We're prepared to sustain this political occupation.
"It's probably going to be a protracted process, but eventually we want to talk with the housing association and come to an agreement that suits people and doesn't cleanse the community."
The four towers would be pulled down in favour of low-rise housing
The high-rise blocks are just minutes from Glasgow's popular Kelvindale area, close to the Botanic Gardens in the city's West End.
Wheatley Homes said more than 250 of the new homes would be available for social rent and around 50 for mid-market rent.
Mr O'Neill added: "I don't want to raise my daughter in a scheme that's a building site for years.
"And I don't want to see my neighbours scattered to the other end of the city to serve the interests of greedy developers and landlords."
However some residents have raised concerns around anti-social behaviour and heating difficulties.
'Better for us'
Residents Alison and Sean welcomed the plans to demolish the tower blocks.
"They've been a hive for anti-social behaviour and we've been trying to get out for the last 10 years," said Sean.
"It's only now, because it's being knocked down, we're on the way to collect keys for a new place.
"So it's working out better for us."
She said their flat was difficult to heat and claimed fireworks had been thrown through letter boxes.
Residents are calling for the flats to be saved and updated
"We've heard people say that there's a community here - but there's no community," said Sean.
"It's just selfishness. Just anti-social behaviour. We've known of a lot of drugs trading in these buildings."
The GMB Union's Glasgow convenor Chris Mitchell said the housing association should prioritise retrofitting the existing flats.
"I think these flats need a bit of TLC and that's it," he said.
"A lot of families are going to be displaced.
"We're talking about the demolition of these flats, but they can't give us any kind of answers about what kind of social housing is going to be built.
"Working class communities are suffering here."
'Energy concerns'
Tenant chair of Wheatley Homes Glasgow, Bernadette Hewitt, said the majority of residents supported the plans.
"The eight-week consultation, which was supported by the independent body the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) Scotland, was open to every tenant in the community," she said.
"We also held drop-in sessions to hear the views of homeowners and businesses.
"The results showed 85% of Wyndford tenants supported the regeneration plans, with 87% of tenants living in the four 26-storey blocks earmarked for demolition also in favour."
Ms Hewitt said a report found "little or no basis" to keep the flats based on energy concerns.
She said tenants were working with architects on the plans which will include larger, more energy efficient homes.