GWSF Tenements pdf April 2015

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New ApproachesGovanhill Housing AssociationFor some time, partners in the GovanhillPartnership have identified 13 tenementblocks in south west Govanhill as a priorityfor action. In December 2013, GlasgowCity Council officers were instructedto develop an implementation strategyfollowing negotiations with the ScottishGovernment and Govanhill HousingAssociation. The key outcomes included:• promoting a sustainable tenurebalance;• stabilisation of problematic groupsof tenement blocks by addressingovercrowding and poor condition;• introducing a programme ofpreventative maintenance bypromoting factoring services andmaintenance plans; and• reduction and eventual elimination ofpoor landlord practice.An early action programme focuses onan initial four tenement blocks containing579 properties. The Scottish Governmenthas committed £4.3 million between2014 and 2017 to cover Govanhill HA’sacquisition costs, and the costs of internalimprovement and external repair works tobe carried out by the Association to bringthe flats back to a lettable standard. OverPoorly maintained housing and environmentalproblems in the area covered by Govanhill’s earlyaction programme.this period a further £3 million has beenearmarked from the Council’s AffordableHousing Programme. In addition, theCouncil has earmarked £2 million PrivateSector Housing Grant.Property management is key to the longterm future of the tenement properties,so the aim is to minimise the number ofnon-factored closes within two years. TheAssociation will take on the factoring oftenements where majority ownership canbe achieved. Where a majority cannot beachieved the Council will offer supportthrough maintenance plans or its MissingShares Initiative.Southside Housing AssociationSouthside HA was one of a number ofCCHAs which were allocated fundingduring 2014/15 by Glasgow City Council topurchase strategically located tenementflats. In the case of Southside, this willallow them to acquire over 40 flats. Theaim is to consolidate the Association’sownership in blocks where they holda minority interest. This will allow theAssociation to have greater control overeffective management and maintenanceof these closes. The initiative relies on12owners being willing to sell – but it offersthe opportunity of the Association beingable to ‘protect’ future standards in thesetenements.Although the scheme is intended as aone-off opportunity, a modest resourceto allow future strategic purchases wouldhelp give CCHAs the opportunity toimprove management and maintenancein key tenements in their area – and allowtheir existing tenants to benefit from aplanned maintenance programme.
Lochfield Park Housing AssociationBrucefield Park is an area of 216privately owned former council flats inEasterhouse. The properties had beensold in the 1980s by Glasgow City Councilthrough the “Homesteading” initiative asa means of increasing home ownershipinto the area.Initially the scheme was very popularproviding low cost homes for ownership.However, priority changes meant thatBrucefield Park was left to its owndevices with no proper factoring or estatemanagement. Brucefield Park changedfrom a relatively desirable part of the areato the least desirable.Sale values in Brucefield declined toa point where some properties wereessentially abandoned and others werepurchased at extremely low values (someas low as £1,000) by the private rentedsector, which has a 50% presence in thearea. The poor standard of managementdelivered by many of these landlordsincreased the spiral of decline in the areaand created increasing problems of crimeand anti-social behaviour.Lochfield Park HA was able to takeaction in 2010 with the introduction ofthe Scottish Government’s UniversalHome Insulation Scheme and increasedfunding available through the CommunityEnergy Saving Programme (CESP). Thisled to a project funded by the ScottishGovernment and Glasgow City Counciland managed by the Association whichtransformed the area and improved thelives of those living there.Works included new roofs, downpipesand gutters; over cladding with insulatedrender system; new double glazedwindows and energy efficient centralheating systems; new front and backclose doors and significant environmentalimprovements. It also began to tackle the50 or so empty homes.Brucefield Park before and after improvement, LochfieldPark Housing AssociationSo far 23 empty homes have beenidentified, acquired and renovated byLochfield Park HA and let under ScottishSecure Tenancies. Private sector landlordsare now engaging with the Council andthe Association on factoring and estatemanagement. And house values in thearea have improved significantly as adirect result of the Empty Homes Initiativeand associated works.13
Page 1 and 2: Our Crumbling TenementsA new approa
Page 3 and 4: IntroductionCommunity Controlled Ho
Page 6: The Scale of the ProblemIt is impor
Page 9 and 10: associations that a series of chang
Page 11: New ApproachesMilnbank Housing Asso
Page 15 and 16: Backcourt before and after Ancroft

GWSF Tenements pdf April 2015

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