Sat 14 Apr 2007
Council flats that time forgot in the midst of housing crisis
Jenni Marrow says the city is crying out for the mothballed Pennywell Road flats to be revamped.
Picture: Toby Williams
(mblackley@edinburghnews.com) MICHAEL BLACKLEY
A BLOCK of council flats has been left to sit empty for more than eight years despite the city’s affordable housing crisis.
The council rehoused residents of 12 two-bedroom flats in Pennywell Road in 1999 and planned to turn the block into community offices.
But the project hit a brick wall when funding could not be found, leaving the flats empty for years. In the meantime, 6000 people have been competing for 60 available council flats on a weekly basis.
The council said today it intends to spend £450,000 refurbishing the flats and aims to make them available again as council housing by the end of the year.
But the Pennywell Tenants’ Association estimates the city will have lost out on about £300,000 in lost rent because of its “mismanagement of resources”.
It says there was little wrong with the flats when they were emptied but that a lack of security measures at the empty building has allowed children to cause damage that will cost much more to fix.
Jenni Marrow, secretary of the Pennywell Tenants’ Association, said: “At least four years ago the council knew that the community business centre was not going to happen and knew that the money was not going to come in. It’s been such a waste of resources.
“They are big flats and they were in a decent state – the city is crying out for that kind of accommodation.
“I have been thinking about going to the district auditor about this because it’s such a waste of taxpayers’ money.
“All that was needed for that block of flats was double glazing, better heating and better security, but that’s just the same as any other council accommodation at the time. A lot more will need now to be done now and that is a disgrace.”
She said that since the flats became vacant, groups of children had made their way inside, where they had set fires and ripped up floorboards and ceilings.
She said the flats, being next to Pennywell’s shopping centre, would be ideal for elderly people.
“The construction of these flats is 100 times better than the rest of Pennywell – they’re good, strong, solid, big flats,” she said.
“They’re spending so much knocking down flats at the moment and the city is in the middle of a housing crisis with people waiting years and years for a flat, yet they have had these good flats lying idle all these years.”
Councillor Lesley Hinds, whose ward includes Muirhouse and Pennywell, was at the centre of the plans for a new community centre, which were initially popular with residents.
Cllr Hinds today said: “These houses became very unpopular a number of years back and so it was proposed that rather than demolish the block the premises would be refurbished so as to be used in a different capacity.
“Unfortunately, several attempts to agree on proposals proved unsuccessful. The council’s housing department has now decided to refurbish this accommodation to a higher standard and to make it available for occupation once again.
“We envisage the flats will be ready later this year. I welcome the high quality housing for rent which is going to become available.”
