No more demolition! Investment instead.

ANCHO currently owns 51 properties within three maisonette blocks at Redburn Place/Sophia Crescent, Irvine.  There are also 13 owned properties within these blocks.  Back in June 2010, following a period of consultation, ANCHO’s Management Board agreed to declare the three maisonette blocks involved for demolition with immediate effect on a phased basis:

• Phase 1 (17 to 55 Redburn Place – 20 properties)
  Target – block cleared and demolished by 31 March 2012
  
• Phase 2 (12 to 34 Redburn Place/27 to 45 Sophia Crescent – 22 properties)
  Target – block cleared and demolished by 31 March 2013
  
• Phase 3 (16 to 58 Sophia Crescent – 22 properties)
  Target – block cleared and demolished by 31 March 2014

Since then, ANCHO has been rehousing tenants and seeking to purchase the owned properties in the Phase 1 block.  The rehousing of all tenants and the purchase of all but one owned property within the Redburn Place block was achieved by the target date of 31 March 2012.  However, it proved impossible to reach agreement on purchase price with one owner.   This raised concerns about the feasibility of rolling forward with the Clearance and Demolition Programme, particularly as a number of things had changed since the original decision was made:

• It was costing more to buy out owners than originally anticipated.
• Land values had continued to decline so that the original valuation of the cleared land was less than anticipated.

These issues were highlighted to ANCHO’s Management Board in March 2012, and, following a period of internal consideration, it was agreed to commission a strategic and financial option appraisal to look again at the future of the blocks.

The outcome was considered by ANCHO’s Management Board at a meeting on 22 November 2012, and the following was agreed:

• Block 1 (17 to 55 Redburn Place)
  The block will be demolished once the single remaining owned property is acquired. The future of the cleared site will be decided at a later date.

• Block 2 (12 to 34 Redburn Place/27 to 45 Sophia Crescent)
  The block will be fully refurbished during the period 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014.
• Block 3 (16 to 58 Sophia Crescent)
  The block will be fully refurbished during the period 1 April 2013 to 31 August 2014.

ANCHO will not be seeking to purchase any owned properties within either block. The work to common areas will include re-roofing, replacement of rainwater goods, re-roughcasting, renewal of controlled entry systems, refurbishment of the close and walkways.  ANCHO will not recharge any share of this work (shares likely to amount to around £10,000 per property) to owners within the block. ANCHO properties will also have internal works carried out including replacement kitchens, bathrooms, heating systems, doors and windows.  Owners will be offered the opportunity to participate in the internal works at cost, with payment required in advance.

We are aware that this represents a substantial change to our previous approach.  However we concluded that this is now the best possible approach for ANCHO, for tenants and for owners within the blocks.  It also means that ANCHO will be investing almost £1.8m in the refurbishment of these blocks alone (and therefore the local economy) over the next two years
Management Board Chair, Stuart Young

All affected residents have been advised of these changes in writing