A SNP MP has called for a U-turn on the demolition of the Red Road flats so they can accommodate refugees fleeing from the war in Syria.
Anne McLaughlin, who represents Glasgow North East where the high rises are situated, said the buildings could be used to house families arriving in Scotland.
She urged the authorities to consider reviewing the programme to knock the six blocks down in a simultaneous explosion in October.
“I know nobody is in these flats now and the final ones are due to come down in mid October. But if it’s in any way feasible for the authorities to halt the demolition programme then I think they should consider doing so,” she said.
“There are also three high flats in Sighthill which people have moved out of in preparation for demolition and maybe they could be left too to provide emergency accommodation for refugees.”
The 31 storey Red Road flats were once the tallest residential structures in Europe and a beacon of hope for residents of Glasgow’s slums.
They were built in the 1960s and were intended to house almost 5,000 people as part of an effort to ease overcrowding and combat slum conditions in the east end.
But in the decades that followed, they were plagued by a range of problems, social and structural, and became associated with the failure of high-rise public housing.
Until earlier this year they housed many refugees, mostly from Africa and the Middle East, and were the focus of tragedy when a Russian family of three seeking asylum in the UK jumped to their deaths from their flat on the 15th floor in 2010.
Two of the original eight blocks were levelled in controlled explosions in 2012 and 2013, while last year there was a plan to blow up the remaining blocks on live television as the centrepiece of the opening of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The plan was dropped following a public outcry.
Some former occupants argued that the spectacle would be undignified and disrespectful to those who had called the flats their homes.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government’s Refugee Taskforce will coordinate with councils and other housing providers to ensure Scotland is prepared to welcome refugees once the UK Government does the decent thing and takes in a fair share.
“Ideally we will look to provide each refugee family with their own accommodation as appropriate.
“We are working hard to ensure we can provide the best possible warm Scottish welcome for refugees when they arrive.”
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