A TEENAGER is campaigning to save the Red Road flats from demolition.

Steven Browning, 15, who lived in the develop-ment until he was four, has gathered more than 700 signatures on a petition to keep the "historical" buildings.

The Govan High pupil now lives in Maryhill with his dad, also Steven, and mum Linda, both 33.

The teenager said: "I used to live in Petershill Drive. I don't remember too much of living there because I was young but I do remember bits of it.

"They shouldn't be demolishing housing when people need homes.

"It is also wrong to demolish something of unique historical value."

Steven, who has autism, said the flats are a "major part of the city's skyline" and said that more could be done with them.

He added: "Even if they can't be used as homes then maybe they could be converted into offices or hotels.

"Red Road is unique to Glasgow and even the steel frame structures are interesting."

Steven set up the petition to ask Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) to reconsider the demolition plans and has received hundreds more signatures in the past month after Red Road was thrust into the spotlight.

Glasgow 2014 organisers announced earlier this month that they planned to demolish five of the six remaining blocks as part of the opening ceremony.

But they changed their mind over safety fears following a massive public campaign to stop the televised blow down.

Linda, 33, said: "I've been spreading Steven's petition because he feels passionate about it.

"His signatures are up quite considerably because people have come across it by accident during the last few weeks."

One person who signed the petition, K. Paterson, from St Ninians, wrote: "I can't understand how these flats can be demol-ished when there is such a housing crisis.

"Apart from the home-less and those in inade-quate housing, there are hundreds of thousands of buyers wanting to get on the property ladder.

"At a low price, these flats could be ideal for them. Ownership would transform them."

A GHA spokesman said the decision to demolish the flats was taken in 2008 after it became clear no one wanted to live there.

He said: "The demo-litions are part of the wider regeneration which has seen all the former residents re-housed, many of them locally in one of GHA's new-build homes, in one of our upgraded homes or other partner social landlords' new-build properties."

To view Steven's petition visit www.change.org/en-GBpetitionsstop-the- demolition-of-the-red-road-flats

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