Aberdeen City Council is considering re-establishing a buyback scheme for private owners in its troubled high-rise blocks, offering a potential lifeline to residents grappling with exorbitant repair costs. The initiative, currently under exploration by council property officials, could allow owners to sell their flats back to the local authority and potentially remain in their homes as tenants. This move signals a strategic shift as the council seeks greater control over the future of its ageing multi-storey buildings.
The proposal comes as owners in some high-rises face upgrade expenditures estimated at five times the value of their properties. Flats in these multi-storeys are, on average, valued at £50,000. However, council estimates from three years ago suggested that even minimum necessary improvements over 30 years could cost between £270,000 and £350,000 per flat, with demolition or replacement reaching up to £480,000 per unit. Residents, consulted previously, favoured the minimum investment, which still amounted to an estimated £9,000 per flat annually at 2023 prices.
A significant audit of the council’s non-traditional construction housing stock is underway this year to assess the remaining lifespan of these buildings. This comprehensive review includes Aberdeen’s five Category A-listed brutalist multi-storeys in the city centre: Gilcomstoun Land, Porthill Court, Seamount Court, Virginia Court, and Marischal Court. The audit will also encompass another 22 high-rises and various post-war housing types, such as timber-framed, prefab, steel-framed, and concrete panel buildings. The findings will inform a 30-year business plan being developed by the council to map out their future.
The prospect of demolition has loomed over Aberdeen’s high-rises, with such action considered as recently as 2023 for several blocks. Furthermore, the council’s housing department has recently diverted significant attention to the Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) crisis affecting approximately 500 homes in Balnagask, Torry, where demolition of affected council properties has been recommended.
Current challenges are evident at the Category A-listed Gilcomstoun Land, where structural repairs could cost around £23,000 per home. Stephen Booth, Aberdeen City Council’s Chief Corporate Landlord, observed a “limited appetite” from both tenants and private owners for extensive modernisation work in the multi-storeys. He also highlighted difficulties for private owners attempting to sell, as prospective buyers struggle to secure mortgages, and both council and private residents face hurdles in obtaining “reasonably” priced home insurance. These issues are reflective of broader challenges facing owners of high-rise properties across the UK following the Grenfell Tower disaster.
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The council has allocated £1.5 million this year for cladding assessments on multi-storeys, ensuring fire safety and compliance with post-Grenfell guidance. Recognising the “significant uncertainty around construction costs,” Mr Booth has called for a fresh appraisal of previous cost estimates for repairs and investment. The revised business case will consider staggered interventions to spread costs and extend building lifespans. Historic Environment Scotland will be involved in planning for the listed buildings to ensure compliance and explore funding avenues. Individual plans will be developed for each tower block, acknowledging their varied conditions.
Mr Booth suggested that council ownership could facilitate future decision-making, noting, “It may be that it is in the council’s interest to have ownership control over the future of the buildings.” He recommended officers explore reopening the buyback scheme, initially focusing on city centre multi-storeys, and also consider models where sellers could transition to tenancy within their existing homes.
Housing convener Miranda Radley stated that the 30-year plan aims to enable Aberdeen City Council to “stop thinking in the short-term,” address the ongoing housing emergency, and reduce delays in re-letting empty properties. While the council manages nearly 2,000 other non-traditional homes, there are no immediate plans to extend the buyback scheme to these properties, which, despite their “finite life,” show no “major issues” from initial visual inspections.
