HOME owners in a 100-year-old building are raising the roof after the council stepped in to save them paying £16,000 each for repairs.

The B-listed former Scottish Co-op warehouse in Tradeston was found to have a leaking roof and basement car park, sparking fears of damp and a drop in value for the 60-plus home owners.

The building, at the corner of Morrison and Dalintober Street, was converted into flats and business units in 1999.

The problems were discovered following a survey by Wiseman Associates which uncovered      ‘major defects’ in the roof, and basement car park, leading to      water seeping in – and a £1.135m repair bill.

Factor Speirs Gumley said the initial cost – of £16,000 per home owner and £43,000 per business owner – looked ‘prohibitive’, until they secured grant funding of 50 per cent from Glasgow City Council.

The factor then had to collect £576,000 from the 64 homeowners and four businesses.

Managing director Iain Friel said: “I’m delighted that with the support of the Dalintober /Morrison Street Focus Group and many other owners, together with a huge helping hand from Glasgow City Council, this project is now finally well under way.


“The scale of the task in collecting such a significant sum of money in a short space of time cannot be underestimated, and is testament to the commitment of the owners to restoring their property and the dedicated team at Speirs Gumley.
“We firmly believe that this project could kick-start the transformation of Tradeston area.”

Councillor George Redmond said the council was delighted to help restore the building which he said was an ‘important part of our heritage.’

He added: “This type of support is not just funding the protection of beautiful architecture, but an investment in the regeneration of a part of the city that continues to attract other investment and development.”

Iain Thompson, a member of the building’s owner focus group, said: “We’re so pleased that in the short space of time since hearing the news of the works needed and how much they would cost, that all parties involved managed to raise the funds required.

“We now are not only having a completely new roof, but also improvements to the underground car park and stairwells along with a refurbishment of the facade.

“This will hopefully conclude in us having our very historic and beautiful building in a better state than it’s ever been in before.”

David Kerr of GDN Contracts said: “It’s an extremely prominent building and one we are proud to be a part of. We’re looking forward to restoring this historic property back to its very best.”