Council tenants still occupying properties in a Glenrothes housing complex earmarked for demolition, will be moved up the rehousing list and offered up to £2,500 as an incentive to leave.
The move comes as Fife Council continues to pursue compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) for flats in the Glenwood Centre in its bid to take control of the dilapidated shopping centre and residential block.
Councillors in Glenrothes this week gave their approval to plans agreed in October for CPOs for the remaining Glenwood homes as part of an ambitious programme of regeneration.
Of the 24 flats, three are still occupied by council tenants, seven are privately let and one is owner-occupied.
John Flaherty, the council’s housing manager for Glenrothes confirmed to members of the town’s area committee remaining council tenants and the owner-occupier will be awarded 100 Urgent Housing Points, which will take them to the top of the council’s waiting list.
The tenants and owner-occupier will also be given a discretionary Disturbance Payment of £1,000 and a statutory Home Loss Payment of £1,500, minus any deductions for council debt.
Mr Flaherty said: “Estates officers have, since August 2018, managed to buy back only one of the properties in the block but remain in negotiation with the remaining owners.
“We hope the awarding of housing points and payments will now speed up the process.
“While we have continued to work sympathetically with tenants in a similar process to that which worked so successfully for the council at the Fraser Road redevelopment in Inverkeithing, tenants have to accept that it is not an option to stay there any longer.”
He said residents now have the confidence they will be moving to a permanent new home that meets their housing needs.
Taking control of the centre will mark a significant milestone for the council and its desire to redevelop the dilapidated centre which, in recent years, has been a blighted by crime and anti-social behaviour.
Councillor Fiona Grant, the area committee convener, said: “This is fantastic news for the whole area and particularly for the residents.
“They now have a clear idea of what the plans mean for them and reassurance that their housing needs are being given top priority.
“The wider community can also look forward to seeing things start to happen on the site and the plans for the regeneration of the area become a reality.”
