"Great" Glasgow - The Dreaming City

[Fat Cat]

can I point out that the largest project to improve housing standards has begun through the work of the Glasgow Housing Association

I'm sure the owner/occupiers unfortunate enough to be billed thousands of pounds for "improvements" they didn't want or could not afford would not agree.

[onyirtodd]

And when Glasgow was known as the greatest Victorian City in the world please don't forget that it also has some of the worst slum as well.

And before someone says "so what has changed" can I point out that the largest project to improve housing standards has begun through the work of the Glasgow Housing Association, building on improvements that have previously been made by many other housing associations throughout the city. There are still parts of the city where more needs to be done and like everyone I want to see progress made in every part of this Great City.

I agree GHA are doing a decent job but far more could be done. In parts of the city local housing associations are champing at the bit to get on with Second Stage Transfer but GHA's claimed requirement for financial neutrality is holding the whole process back.

[eltor2ga]

They used to call it the finest Victorian City in Britain but I don't think they can still say that now.

So what is?

I don't know. Maybe Glasgow can still lay claim to the title. It just seems to me that if you have something that makes you "the greatest", then you'd do all you can to preserve that. I don't think GCC are doing that.
George Squ, Buchanan St etc all look great, but the west end of the city centre seems to be sprouting bland office blocks left, right and centre.

Feel free to tell me I'm ranting

[crusty_bint]

You're ranting Have a look at the preceding half-dozen posts

[glasgowken]

GHA do some daft things as well, or try to.

[eltor2ga]

OK *sulk*

[onyirtodd]

GHA do some daft things as well, or try to.

No question.

Their latest ploy re Second Stage Transfer (2ST) is to submit their 2007 figures to the 5 'pilot schemes' in early July and expect a response by the first week in August, despite the intervention of holidays and most management committees being in recess.

Anyone would think they didn't want 2ST to go ahead.

[Alex Glass]

Homeowner participation in the investment programme.

Any home owner participating in the investment programme is given a minimum 50% grant and dependent on their personal circumstances can get up to 100% grant.

The GHA are required to pay the contractor for the work carried out and then bill the home owner fro their share of the balance after the grant is taken into account.

They are required under regulations from Communities Scotland to recover any money within 12 months.

I have met a cross section of home owners who have participated within the programme the majority are pleased with the work carried out and recognise the increase to the value of their property.

Just this week I was told a story of one home owner who,following the work to his property paid the £50.00 balance after grand and promtly put the property up for sale. It sold recently for £180,000. Not bad for a house that 10 years ago cost him £15,000.

I know that there are some home owners who do have difficulty with the repayment terms and support the attempts to have the regulation relaxed and the possibility of local Credit Unions offering favourable loan terms for those who wish to take up this offer.

Second Stage Transfer

The business plan that established the GHA did not include funding for second stage transfer at the levels previously enjoyed by Housing Associations who participated in stock transfers from Scottish Homes or Councils.

The timescale for second stage transfer was brought forward by the GHA as it was hoped that transfers could take place sooner that had previously been anticipated within the Business Plan.

However, when the asperation was considered it was discovered that there was not the level of funding available within the Business Plan.

The GHA have been working to resolve this matter and hopefully some progress will be made later in the year.

The idea that financial neutrality is a bad thing needs to be addressed. Part of Glasgow's previous problem was the level of debt and the reducing number of tenants left to pay off this debt. The 'right to buy' resulted in part of this problem. It is vital that the tenant who are not able to benefit from second stage transfer are not left again to pay the bill left behind by those who transfer out of the GHA.

10 Year Investment Programme

It is now 4 years since this programme started. There are 6 year left to make the improvements needed in the viable stock and start work on regenerating parts of the city that need old houses demolished to make way for the 3,000 new homes that are costed within the business plan.

There is still a lot of work to do and I know the people involved in the GHA are committed to achieving the promises made to tenants at the stock transfer in 2003.

Four years on much of the city has changed due to the work carried out so far. The next 6 years promises to be more of the same.

[Fat Cat]

Just this week I was told a story of one home owner who,following the work to his property paid the £50.00 balance after grand and promtly put the property up for sale. It sold recently for £180,000. Not bad for a house that 10 years ago cost him £15,000.

Oh well, that 's alright then.

As a single homeowner, it pisses me off in the extreme that I have to pay anything up to 7K (with a year to pay or take out a loan I don't want and can't afford) for work that is not required to the fabric of the building so my upstairs neighbour, sitting rent free, can have a nice new kitchen, bathroom and rendering, but can't be arsed to mow her garden. Great.

Only a couple of years ago, all three homeowners in the block (the last being a GHA tenant) put together and got a new roof put on, which will now come off because GHA say so.

~Rant Suspended~

[hazy]

GHA new name same people running it . Full of shit ideas and ravaged with nepotism. How do I know. Mate and all his kids work there.

[Roxburgh]

They used to call it the finest Victorian City in Britain but I don't think they can still say that now.

So what is?

I don't know. Maybe Glasgow can still lay claim to the title. It just seems to me that if you have something that makes you "the greatest", then you'd do all you can to preserve that. I don't think GCC are doing that.
George Squ, Buchanan St etc all look great, but the west end of the city centre seems to be sprouting bland office blocks left, right and centre.

Feel free to tell me I'm ranting ::):

Its a city and you get urban development in cities.

It is not a Victorian theme park.

So you try to keep the great stuff and add new great stuff. The not so great stuff (e.g. Boyd Orr) can be demolished. It ain't a perfect process.

[onyirtodd]

Glasgow Housing Association Board today agreed to ask the Scottish Housing Regulator to allow GHA to ballot tenants in 5 Local Housing Organisations re the transfer to other landlords.

The five LHOs where tenants will be balloted are:

· Ardenglen Housing Association LHO – where GHA would transfer ownership of 284 properties to Ardenglen Housing Association

· Castle Stuart LHO - where GHA would transfer ownership of 529 properties to Cassiltoun Housing Association

· Crossview LHO - where GHA would transfer ownership of 270 properties (prior to planned demolitions) to Parkhead Housing Association

· Glasgow West Housing Association (Hyndland) LHO where GHA would transfer ownership of 127 properties to Glasgow West Housing Association, and

· Shettleston Housing Association LHO - where GHA would transfer ownership of 887 properties to Shettleston Housing Association


Ballots are expected in November.

[mairead]

Still the greatest city in the world for me, cos' I was born in it..

[sds]

The not so great stuff (e.g. Boyd Orr) can be demolished. It ain't a perfect process.

And it will be; it's only got a few years left.

[onyirtodd]

"Hundreds of tenants have voted to break away from Glasgow Housing Association and switch control of their homes to local landlords.

The GHA balloted householders in five areas of the city on whether they wanted to switch ownership of 2100 properties to smaller tenant-led organisations."

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/disp ... 26.0.0.php

I share the tenants delight at this transfers but don't imagine we'll see many more.