Glasgow Caledonia Road high rise flats in Gorbals demolished

Glasgow Times

a day ago

Hundreds of onlookers gathered at several vantage points in the Gorbals to watch the buildings be pulled down.
The high-rises at 305 and 341 Caledonia Road were brought down using explosives by Dem-Master Demolition.
The blocks of flats are owned by New Gorbals Housing Association (NGHA), who decided to remove them to make way for social rent homes.
The towers were built in 1971 and are nestled between St Francis' Primary School and the Southern Necropolis cemetery.
Hundreds gathered to watch the flats fall (Image: Julie Howden) The exclusion zone for the demolition covered the graveyard and the nearby Gorbals rose gardens.
They were two of the last standing Gorbals tower blocks, built in 1965. Each of the Caledonia Road tower blocks rose to 23 storeys.
At its peak, the Gorbals was home to 16 of the towering blocks.
The demolition comes after the buildings were declared 'unsustainable and unaffordable' to save as they were deemed 'not up to the modern safety standards'.
The Glasgow Times previously reported that residents of the high-rise block were first informed of the possible tear-down back in 2020.
Today, June 29, the flats have been levelled in a controlled explosion.
Locals gathered in their droves, with many feeling "very emotional" at the sight of the blocks coming down.
A loud cheer did go up from the crowd as the dust billowed into the air.
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Fraser Stewart, chief executive of the community-owned New Gorbals Housing Association, previously told the Glasgow Times that saving the blocks was 'unsustainable and unaffordable'.
This is due to the inability to bring cladding up to acceptable safety standards without spending a large amount of money on structures that had a limited life span.
A total of 152 homes for social rent will be erected in its place, which NGHA hope to have ready within the next few years.
The strategy for new homes was agreed between NGHA, Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government.
Fraser Stewart said the demolition is particularly sad as the blocks provided high quality and well maintained and managed homes right up to when tenants were rehoused back in 2021.
He went on to add that it will be a sad and upsetting event for many of the folk who lived good lives in these towers, some for many decades.
Though Fraser said 'not one complaint' has been launched since plans for the demolition were confirmed, some locals in the area were torn.
The dust billowed into the air after the flats were razed (Image: Julie Howden)
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Earlier this year, the Glasgow Times spoke to a number of residents who either live in the area or previously lived in the blocks.
One man said the demolition was a great way to make the Gorbals more modern, while a local woman said the blow-down should improve the area.
Another man agreed, saying that the demolition is a great idea to build new homes in the area.
The block on the west side was brought down first (Image: Julie Howden) However, there were some people who felt saddened by the plans.
One man, who has lived in the area "all his days", said it was a great shame to see the blocks coming down.
Waddell Court is now the only remaining tower block in the Gorbals.
The Sandiefield Road towers were demolished in 2013, with the Norfolk Court towers blowing down in 2016. The Stirlingfauld Place towers were knocked down in 2008.
The Queen Elizabeth Square towers were blown up in a controlled explosion in September 1993. Helen Tinney, 61, was part of a large crowd watching the 22-storey flats' demolition when she was struck by a piece of flying debris. Mrs Tinney died in the Victoria Infirmary after collapsing at the scene of the blast.