The Gazette | News | RESIDENTS FURY AT DECISION TO DEMOLISH FLATS

Monday, 1st December, 2008

Published: Thursday, 28th August, 2008 15:30

RESIDENTS FURY AT DECISION TO DEMOLISH FLATS

By Eitan Grant

Angry residents have slammed housing bosses for demolishing a block of blaze-damaged flats which had been left to rot for years.

Fed-up neighbours say they have coped with numerous deliberate fires at the seven rows of flats as well as having to endure junkies using them as drug dens.

Many inhabitants of the Johnstone estate are delighted with Linstone Housing Association for finally getting rid of the derelict eye-sore, but others have criticised the decision by property chiefs not to invest in the houses, allowing them to crumble instead.

Diggers moved in to flatten rows of boarded-up flats in Ryefield Place last week with the area now ear-marked for landscaping.

Community activist Billy Reid from the Sandyflats estate said: “We have been saying to Linstone for five years that something needs to be done about these flats.

“They didn’t renovate them and they have been used by drug addicts and youngsters who break in and drink alcohol at the weekends.”

“The biggest problem is that some people around here have their properties up for sale but when prospective buyers drove into the estate the first thing they saw were these houses and were put off.”

Julie Black who lives a few streets away added: “Nobody wants to live in them any more and I think most people are happy that they are coming down.

“I am glad to see them go but they could have been done up, they are good flats.”

Director of property at Linstone David Adam said: “There was no demand for the properties, no one wanted to live in them.

“Management made a decision to demolish them but it takes a lot of time from the time the decision is made before that can be carried out.

“We had a lot to consider and a lot do first, like remove asbestos. There were other health and safety issues to consider as well.

“We also had to negotiate with about six or seven different utility companies.

“We also spent a lot of money on security and every time there was a breach in security we immediately reinstated the property.

“Another reason it took so long is because there were still about seven tenants living there and it took time to accommodate their aspirations as to where the wanted to move to.

“In the long term we hope to re-develop the site for housing.”

Social Bookmarking What are these?