A woman who fought for 18 years for a new home in West Lothian after her property was condemned is set to lay the first brick of her new house.
Springfield Homes are set to start building the new homes in the Deans South site in Livingston after it was finally cleared last winter, and Kerry Mackintosh has been invited on Tuesday to start the work.
“It’s going to be emotional”, said Kerry this week. “There’ll be a few tears, but they will be happy tears.” she added.
Kerry and her neighbours, including Phil Cavan, won a deal two years ago when Springfield Homes agreed to provide a home on the site in Deans South. They have fought for almost 20 years since their homes were condemned after Siporex roof panels began causing problems.
West Lothian Council re-homed the tenants but those such as Kerry and Phil who had bought their homes were stuck, and locked in a long dispute with the council over suitable compensation and alternative housing – with the area becoming known as a ‘ghost estate’.
Kerry’s old home was finally demolished in November and Springfield has spent the last few weeks carrying out extensive groundworks on the site, which was first developed by Livingston Development Corporation in the early 1970s.
The Deans South estate, built by Livingston Development Corporation and inherited by West Lothian Council was emptied of tenants after the failures of the Siporex concrete roof panels.
The panels, also known as Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) have now been discovered in dozens of council buildings across West Lothian and many more across Scotland.
West Lothian council faces a bill north of £30 million to repair or replace public buildings where RAAC has been found. Siporex is a brand of the same material. It has been found to crumble after absorbing water. Internal steel roads designed to strengthen the concrete corrode.
Kerry and neighbours who had bought their homes began a long battle for meaningful compensation as the empty estate crumbled around them.
In 2019 Kerry and her neighbours accepted a deal from Springfield Homes of a new home to replace their own three bedroom properties.
It took another two years to broker a deal with the council to secure the site for redevelopment to allow demolition to go ahead last year.
Kerry told The Local Democracy Reporting service she was “buzzing” that work had started.
“It’s really great to see the work starting. The groundworks will take a few weeks as they’re having to dig down five or six feet to clear the land but it’s the start.
“It’s an amazing experience to see the work starting when you know it’s going to be your new home.”
By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
