Govanhill slum housing plan given the green light

A £9.3 million plan to bring Govanhill housing up to standard has been approved by Glasgow City Council’s executive committee.
Councillor Soryia SiddiqueCouncillor Soryia Siddique
Councillor Soryia Siddique

As reported in last week’s Extra, the plan aims to bring four blocks of privately owned tenement flats into the social housing sector in a bid to beat bad landlords, lack of factoring, overcrowding and rapid turnover of tenancies — all ongoing problems in the neighbourhood.

The South West Govanhill Property Acquisition and Repair programme was devised in partnership with Govanhill Housing Association and has £5m investment from the council, plus a further £4.3m from the Scottish Government, to support a two-year pilot phase.

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Bailie Liz Cameron, executive member for economic development, said: “We are very pleased to have reached an agreement over our investment proposal for Govanhill. It has been obvious that a longer-term solution to issues with private sector housing has been required for some time.

“The council has already invested substantial sums in maintaining the housing stock in the area, but it is clear that difficulties with the way property is being managed have not gone away.

“This will help us tackle a range of issues that have affected Govanhill badly in recent years and help to make it a far better place to live.”

The four blocks in the plan include 78 closes and 579 properties, although a further £500,000 has been set aside to address issues with slum housing in the wider area.

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Backing the move is southside central councillor Soryia Siddique who told The Extra: “Residents have raised ongoing concerns regarding property management, overcrowding and lack of factoring.

“I’m delighted the campaign to address housing challenges in Govanhill has been successful. This is an importmant move to improve the housing stock and address the imbalance — it will help tackle a variety of issues in Govanhill in recent years.”

What do you think? Share your thoughts by emailing Gillian (address above).