Happy Birthday, Craigshill!
We are proud to celebrate the birthday of the first homes built in the New Town of Livingston completed on 31st March 1966.
Ambitious targets for new housing completions were set by the Government and as a result Livingston became a testing ground for many innovative building systems. Unfortunately not all of these were entirely suitable for the Scottish climate or in fact entirely leak free when it came to withstanding the west wind and driving rain.
The first phase to be completed were the houses and bungalows in Broom Walk and Tay Walk which were built to a Swedish system with concrete panels and flat roofs and were the precursors to thousands of new properties built by the former Livingston Development Corporation. Four storey flatted blocks were also constructed, but problems with leaks from flat roofs and balconies proved to be difficult to resolve and these blocks were later transformed with pitched roofs and redesign leading to reduced height in many cases.
Over the years we have improved and maintained the buildings so that they meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard and exceed the required energy efficiency standard. Work has included new pitched roofs and over-cladding of the walls, new double-glazed windows and doors, upgraded bathrooms and kitchens, modernised electrics and the installation of efficient heating boilers. Insulation has also been increased to maintain a warm, dry and healthy living environment for our tenants.
There will still be people living in the area around who remember the ‘wild west’ days of the new town as roads were being built, the shops were converted bungalows, and the police station was two converted houses which were changed back as the area expanded.
Mr and Mrs Donohoe have been tenants since 1966 when they moved from Glasgow and into their new house on Doon Walk in Craigshill. The couple have never considered moving.
‘In the 1960’s there was a little post office, a doctor’s surgery and a wee shop. Craigshill has always been a quiet area but the roads are busier nowadays. It’s a good area and these are the best houses in town, so why move?’ says Mr. Donohoe.
Craigshill was the first community built by the Development Corporation and as well as hundreds of original properties celebrating a half century, the first pub in Livingston – “The Tower” still serves the local community.
Along with all our other properties, we plan to maintain and further improve these houses and bungalows over the coming years. By doing so, and with the help of the many tenants who look after the interior of their home, these pioneering properties in Livingston New Town could last another 50 years.