Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Towers are tumbling down in Holehills
Demolition work is continuing in Holehills as the North Lanarkshire’s tower replacement project gathers pace across Monklands.
Bulldozers began work in earnest back in August to knock down the three Airdrie highrises of Cheviot, Merrick and Pentland Courts – and the area has already been transformed with just part of one of the eight-storey blocks now still standing.
The Advertiser told last week how Burnside Court in Coatbridge will be knocked down from next month; and that landmark highrises Jackson Court, Dunbeth Court and High Coats in the town are to be demolished in just over two years’ time, in the spring of 2023.
Housing and regeneration convener Heather Brannan-mcvey said: “Our tower re-provisioning programme will see visible and significant change to our skylines, and quality new housing being built for the people and families moving into these redeveloped sites.
“The coronavirus pandemic has made things seem uncertain at the moment – but as we look towards a brighter future, we’re committed to our plans to make North Lanarkshire a better place for people to live, and our council house programme is vital to that ambition.”
North Lanarkshire plans to demolish all 48 of its high-rise tower blocks over the next two decades as part of the authority’s plan to create 5000 new homes.
The Holehills land and adjacent playing field at Dykehead Road will now be the site of 150 new council houses; site clearance work had first begun at the vacated flats in February before the coronavirus lockdown, with the demolition project originally expected to take 15 months.
Its redevelopment will consist of a mixture of cottage flats, bungalows and two-storey properties, ranging from one to four bedrooms and including a number of wheelchair-accessible properties; while the project also includes a £300,000 upgrade to provide an extra 3G pitch at nearby Airdrie leisure centre to compensate for the loss of the current playing field.
Nearly two-thirds of the properties across North Lanarkshire included in phase one of the project – including the three Coatbridge high-rises – are now vacant.
Head of housing solutions Stephen Llewellyn said: “Of the initial 1750 properties identified, we now have 1127 empty flats and have agreed future housing options with the vast majority of people currently living in those homes; this reflects the consultation with residents who overwhelmingly shared our ambition to regenerate our tower sites.
“The health pandemic has been a challenge for everyone, and we are grateful to our tenants for their help and understanding throughout these unprecedented times.”