Colin and Justin on the Estate
May. 9th, 2007 01:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
purpletigronColin McAllister and Justin Ryan are 'TV interior decorators' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_McAllister_and_Justin_Ryan).
Channel Five are currently broadcasting Colin and Justin's attempt 'in partnership with the local council and community' to 'visually renovate' the Arden Housing Estate in Glasgow. This was to be within the Housing Association budget, and eight months.
The Arden Estate was built in 1955 to house 3,000 residents moved from tenements. It was bought by Glen Oaks Housing Association in 1999. The Housing Association had little money for investment, with low rental incomes - 70% of the residents were on benefits.
Along with about 70% of social housing in Scotland, most of the dwellings on Arden are below the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. But the Local Authority seems not to have exercised any of its existing powers to bring the Arden Estate up to a 'Tolerable' minimum
(http://www.cieh.org/ehp/columnists/articles/nargis_kayani_not_a_glasgow_ehp_in_sight.htm).
The programme has, according to the Sunday Herald newspaper, stirred up a lot of controversy. Alasdair McKee, the chief executive of Glen Oaks, said:
"It's hugely frustrating," he said. "There is so much you want to get done, if only you had the money to do it. We badly need investment - the show was a good way to bring attention to that."
McAllister said he was "shocked, utterly shocked, at how little is spent on people's homes". "We couldn't be 'Colin and Justin' pulling in favours ... which was totally frustrating, but we wanted to do it on their budget."
During their time there, Colin and Justin helped the Estate secure some extra funding. They set up a 'cyber-cafe', redecorated the community centre, organised litter picking, and planned a community garden which is now being planted. But they can't claim to have succeeded in a 'comprehensive make-over' of the Estate.
I would be very interested to read an in-depth analysis of the project. I think this strange set-up could yield some depressing but useful insight into community regeneration across the UK.
Channel Five are currently broadcasting Colin and Justin's attempt 'in partnership with the local council and community' to 'visually renovate' the Arden Housing Estate in Glasgow. This was to be within the Housing Association budget, and eight months.
The Arden Estate was built in 1955 to house 3,000 residents moved from tenements. It was bought by Glen Oaks Housing Association in 1999. The Housing Association had little money for investment, with low rental incomes - 70% of the residents were on benefits.
Along with about 70% of social housing in Scotland, most of the dwellings on Arden are below the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. But the Local Authority seems not to have exercised any of its existing powers to bring the Arden Estate up to a 'Tolerable' minimum
(http://www.cieh.org/ehp/columnists/articles/nargis_kayani_not_a_glasgow_ehp_in_sight.htm).
The programme has, according to the Sunday Herald newspaper, stirred up a lot of controversy. Alasdair McKee, the chief executive of Glen Oaks, said:
"It's hugely frustrating," he said. "There is so much you want to get done, if only you had the money to do it. We badly need investment - the show was a good way to bring attention to that."
McAllister said he was "shocked, utterly shocked, at how little is spent on people's homes". "We couldn't be 'Colin and Justin' pulling in favours ... which was totally frustrating, but we wanted to do it on their budget."
During their time there, Colin and Justin helped the Estate secure some extra funding. They set up a 'cyber-cafe', redecorated the community centre, organised litter picking, and planned a community garden which is now being planted. But they can't claim to have succeeded in a 'comprehensive make-over' of the Estate.
I would be very interested to read an in-depth analysis of the project. I think this strange set-up could yield some depressing but useful insight into community regeneration across the UK.
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Date: 2007-05-09 05:36 pm (UTC)Poor Colin and Justin. During my first pregnancy I was keenly looking forward to the lurid sexy dreams that all the books promise you. The only dream to show up for this duty featured Colin and Justin (not that I know which is which bless them, which is churlish of me considering) which freaked me out rather. It freaked Mr Wol out more though when I related his share of the dream's events. ;)