A THOUSAND homes will be evacuated in the demolition of Glasgow’s Red Road flats.
Local residents are being offered up to £100 to leave the site when the six blocks come down in a controlled explosion this autumn.
They are also being asked what they would prefer to do on demolition day.
Glasgow Housing Association (GHA), which owns the flats, will hire out a community centre and offer people food and drink, entertainment and day trips.
People who want to make their own arrangements are being offered expenses of up to £100.
But there are concerns over the six blocks coming down together and if the money is enough considering the disruption.
David Fletcher, director of regeneration for GHA, said the team was speaking to all 1000 households to help them work out arrangements.
He said: “We’re well under way with this now and the response from the community has been great.
“We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone for their understanding and co-operation.”
Mr Fletcher said the scale and nature of the Red Road demolition made it “exceptional” - and that is why the exclusion site was drawn so large.
In comparison, 215 households were asked to leave during the Shawbridge Street demolition, Sighthill saw 228 homes evacuated and 455 households were asked to leave during the Rosemount blow down.
Mr Fletcher said he was keen to give people “a range of options so they can plan their day.
He added: “Working with our contractor Safedem, we’ll be putting on local facilities in a community centre with catering and entertainment and offering alternatives such as a day trip.
“For people who would rather make their own arrangements, we will offer them reasonable expenses of up to £100 per household where they find they are genuinely out of pocket on the day.
“We hope this will give people more choices, helping us evacuate the area so that we can carry out this complex demolition of six blocks safely.”
The evacuation will start about 8am. It is expected residents will be able to return to their homes around 3pm.
Homeowner Tina Suffredini, 51, across from the site, said: “I want reassurances to know it’s safe when we go back and I’m worried about the damage it could cause.
“It was bad enough when they brought one down so I’m worried with six coming down at the same time."
“I don’t know if £100 is enough - we’ve had to put up with a lot of disruption over the years."
Residents are planning to hold a meeting about the demolition.
John Heeps, 35, said: “They’re ready to come down. I don’t know why it’s taken so long. They’ve taken their time about it.
“It’s just turned into a bit of an eyesore.”
Resident Angela McCallum, 35, added: “Everybody will be glad to see the back of them.”
Labour’s Maryhill and Springburn MSP Patricia Ferguson, a former resident said: “I think having them come down separately would have caused much more disruption and would have been no good for anyone. So it’s good they can all come down in one go.”
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