Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
DEMOLITION COUNTDOWN
Pre- demolition work is underway at three Holehills tower blocks, which will be the first high- rise flats to be knocked down under North Lanarkshire’s housing regeneration programme.
Site clearance has now started at the eight- storey Cheviot, Merrick and Pentland Courts, with Central Demolition in place to carry out the 15-month project.
It follows the demolition of smaller blocks of flats at nearby Northburn Place late last year, with 27 flats being pulled down to be replaced by an additional 30 new homes.
Housing and regeneration convener Heather Brannan-McVey visited the Holehills site with council architectural technician Casey Ross, head of housing Stephen Llewellyn and Central Demolition representative Chelsea Tulloch.
She said: “Beginning site clearance at these three tower blocks is a significant ramping up of our plans to provide 5000 new council homes for rent by 2035.
“People are now seeing real progress on sites across North Lanarkshire with identified flats being emptied, blocks being demolished and new-build sites underway.
“We hav e a l ready completed more than 700 new builds across the area with plans for hundreds more either already underway or in the planning stages.”
The three Holehills blocks, which held 138 properties, will be replaced with 55 new homes on their current footprint – while the overall site eventually seeing 158 new homes being developed over the next few years.
Councillor BrannanMcVey previously told the Advertiser: “Airdrie is at the heart of our plans, with the town being the site of the first stage of demolitions.
“The clearance of these properties paves the way for the construction of new homes for our
From left, architectural technician Casey Ross; housing and regeneration convener Councillor Heather BrannanMcVey; head of housing solutions Stephen Llewellyn; and Central Demolition representative Chelsea Tulloch tenants to enjoy and will provide a significant boost to employment and construction in North Lanarkshire.”
Mr Llewellyn said: “These sites in Airdrie form part of the first phase of the council’s towers programme involving over 1700 properties, 15 towers and a number of low- rise blocks.
“The vast majority of people in this stage of our regeneration proposals have already identified their future housing needs and options.”
Also among the 18 Monklands blocks included in the first phase of the planned 20- year project are Dunbeth Court, High Coats and Jackson Court in Coatbridge and the Campsie, Cheviot, Etive,
Ettrick, Fintry, Killin, Nevis, Pentland, Sidlaw, Striven and Tinto flats in Shawhead.
They were chosen based on factors including “waiting list demand, stock turnover and investment requirements”, after North Lanarkshire Council first announced its plans to demolish and replace all 48 tower blocks in the authority area in December 2017.
Council leader Jim Logue said then: “Towers were once the future of housing and we have invested steadily over the years in them, but we are very constrained in improving them by their construction.
“The quality of homes we are now able to build is exceptional, with great access, adaptability and energy efficiency, and these are hugely ambitious plans.”