GWSF Tenements pdf April 2015

IntroductionCommunity Controlled HousingAssociations (CCHAs) have a long historyof carrying out comprehensive tenementimprovement, supported by councilsand the housing agencies the threeHousing Corporation, Scottish Homesand Communities Scotland. From the1970s through to the end of the 20thcentury their work brought life and a newsense of identity to tenement areas inGlasgow and towns throughout the westof Scotland.The tenement is a fantastic, but complex,building form. It can provide a verylong life, but it needs all the owners toagree to regular upkeep of the wholebuilding. If any individual part is not wellmaintained, it has an impact on the wholestructure. This needs good management,ongoing maintenance and the plannedreplacement of parts that reach the endof their life. Building standards alsochange over the years (for example inrelation to energy efficiency), so someimprovements are also required. Thisnaturally costs money and needs all theowners to fund their share of the repairsand improvements to the common parts.And when money is not spent for along time, the fabric falls into disrepair– leading to a far greater expense thanwould have been required if ongoingmaintenance had been undertaken.This is why CCHAs have had such animportant role from the 1970s onwards.A large number of tenement propertieswere sadly neglected and neededsubstantial investment (from local andcentral government) to bring them backup to a decent standard. This used anapproach known as ComprehensiveTenement Improvement (CTI), wheregrants were available both to CCHAs tobuy and improve the flats and to ownerswho wished to upgrade their property.This led to the improvement of tens ofthousands of tenement flats. These werepredominantly in inner city areas, but alsoin peripheral estates.3