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Mixed emotions on fate of ‘eyesore’ flats in Hilltown

Hristo Hristov, wife Radostina and children Hristiyana and Tera have only recently moved in to a flat at Butterburn Square and do not want the council to pull them down.
Hristo Hristov, wife Radostina and children Hristiyana and Tera have only recently moved in to a flat at Butterburn Square and do not want the council to pull them down.

Residents living in an “eyesore” block of flats face an anxious wait to find out if the council is to tear down their homes.

Proposals to knock down 31 flats at Butterburn Square in Hilltown have been put forward by Dundee’s director of housing, but the move has been opposed by one-third of residents.

Joiner and plumber Hristo Hristov said: “I have only just moved here and I don’t want to move again.

“Before I lived here I lived in a normal house which was always cold. This house is warm and big.”

Vitalijs Andrejevs said: “I like this place, we have two floors and I am not sure I will receive the same flat if I move.”

But Dundee City Council housing convener John Alexander said the flats were “unpopular” and expensive to maintain, and the council has the support of 23 residents in bringing them down.

One woman said her 90-year-old mother was one of the first to move in to the flats when they were put up and has been there for the past 48 years.

She said: “I would be sad to see the flats come down, but I am just going to wait and see what the council do.”

The proposal to demolish the flats is part of the council’s Hilltown regeneration plan.

If approved, tenants will be rehoused and owners will be offered money for their homes through the compulsory purchase order.

Council tenant Dean Ferrie said: “The sooner it comes down the better.”

Linda McMinn said as a home owner she was concerned about the costs of keeping the flats up and is anxious waiting to hear the fate of her home.

She said: “I have been living here 20-odd years but I only owned the house for the past six years. Some people really don’t care about this place.”

Mother of four Zoe Glaister has had a number of problems with her flat, including having water come through her ceiling during bad weather, and she is keen to see the back of her flat. However, she said she would miss the people.

Fellow resident Charlotte Fraser said she would also like to see the flats come down but is concerned about the possibility of rehousing all the residents in the Hilltown area.

After consultation with residents the council revealed that nine of them are against the plans, while 23 would prefer to see them torn down.

The decision will be made by councillors on the housing committee on Monday.