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Western Gate Initiative

A website set up BY and FOR all owners in

Block 2, Western Gate, Glasgow






WHO ARE WE?

Page modified: 30th July 2024



Western Gate - Block 2

15 Benalder Street (11 flats) G11 6PU

17 Benalder Street (11 flats) G11 6PU

30 Partick Bridge Street (11 Flats) G11 6PQ



PLEASE NOTE

This website is very much under development, please return frequently

THANK YOU

CLICK HERE FOR UPDATES and NEWS

A group of proprietors of 33 flats in Block 2, Western Gate, we are a mixture of
owners, some of whom live in their flats, while others choose to let their
property to tenants, directly or via agents.    

WHY THIS INITIATIVE?

Although the buildings comprising Block 2 are only just over 20 years old, even
a superficial look at the exterior will tell you that perhaps not all is well -
it already looks neglected and uncared for.  What is more significant than the
state of the exterior is that it has been known for many years that buildings on
the Western Gate estate suffer serious water ingress that is affecting not only
individual flats, where damp is chronic, but also the fabric of the building
itself.  The Factors, Ross & Liddell, became increasingly concerned about these
issues and commissioned a surveyor to undertake a major survey;  his 97-page
report was received early in 2015 and, we understand, was circulated to all
owners at that time.  Since then, little has been achieved by way of essential
remediation because such works, even when split into manageable tranches, have
to be approved by the majority of owners.  This is a requirement of the Title
Deeds which record our ownership and set out our responsibilities as
proprietors.  Regrettably, it seems that consensus has rarely been achieved,
with owners unwilling to commit to their specified share of the costs, and the
Factors stymied in their genuine efforts to address what are serious
problems.  Thus, little essential work has been possible for many years now and,
in the meantime, the building continues to deteriorate.

The purpose of the initiative is to try to end this paralysis and to find some
way we can facilitate the Factors in undertaking essential repairs.   If we fail
in this, the consequences will be serious.  Our building will become
increasingly dilapidated and eventually even unsafe;  in consequence, the value
of our property will decline.  These problems will start to be noted on vendors'
Home Reports and we could find ourselves in a situation where our flats will
become unsaleable, with mortgage companies declining to lend to prospective
purchasers and our investments put seriously at risk.  

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

We have therefore created Western Gate Initiative and urge you to join this
group of owners so we can initially agree on strategy, work with the Factors,
and identify the most pressing problems - collectively, we must agree that the
essential maintenance is indeed essential. In order to make any progress, most
of us need to take this matter seriously, try to achieve a  consensus, and
gradually start resolving the problems.   The option to do nothing would be
plainly foolish, unless anyone wants to finish up owning a flat in a dilapidated
building, worthles and unsellabe.  I cannot imagine that any of us wish this to
happen.    

WHY NOW?

Philip Thomson BSc Hons, Building Surveyor for Ross & Liddell Ltd, opened his
letter to owners with the following words: "As numerous proprietors may be
aware, and with some proprietors being acutely affected, there are many
instances of water ingress into various parts of the buildings that comprise
Westerngate, which is causing undue stress to some proprietors and a loss of
their enjoyment of their property.  And, potentially this water ingress will
inevitably lead to long-term harm to the building, thereby probably diluting
your long-term investment."




That was almost a decade ago, with little having been done since to improve
matters, and water penetration already doing serious harm to the building.  If
we allow this inertia to continue, all our investments will be in
jeopardy.  While owners who are landlords rightly continue to receive a proper
return on their investments, in the form of regular rental income, we ask you,
please, to pause for a moment and consider a time when you may decide to sell
your property and monetise your asset, only to find that the sale will be
problematic and the value of your property significantly diminished.  In our
opinion, doing nothing is no longer an option unless, of course, you are one of
those happy few who are unconcerned about the real possibility of financial
loss.  I imagine that most of us are unlikely to fall into this category.    

WHAT NEXT?

To those who received our initial letter and who have decided to be supporters,
we thank you;  to those who are still considering our letter, we look forward to
your joining us soon;  and to any new owners in Block 2, we hope you will
quickly discover this resource and become keen supporters too.  You will then be
kept up-to-date with developments and be able to influence the formulation of a
strategy to help Ross & Liddell identify priority areas and divide remedial
works into manageable chunks, thereby completing, over a number of years, a
planned programme of essential maintenance in Block 2.

Documents sent to owners by the Factors are necessarily formal but some owners
may have found these opaque, struggling to discern how the proposed works
actually impinge upon their own flat or block.  We hope to help with this
problem by creating a page on this website for each proposed parcel of work
where we have responsibility, employing plans, drawings or photographs to
illuminate the formal documents you receive from Ross & Liddell.  We will also,
whenever possible, upload on to the same page photographs of the completed
work.  So, for the first time you will see how your money is contributing
towards the maintenance of this building and thus safeguarding your
investment.  To those owners who have tenants, such improvements would
gradually, over time, enhance the quality of accommodation that you provide to
your tenants, with a concomitant impact upon rental income - in Glasgow's West
End, there is always a demand for high quality accommodation to rent.




If you have not done so already, please GET IN TOUCH soon, join the Western Gate
Initiative and help with our efforts to resolve, however gradually, the major
issues related to the maintenance of our properties and to safeguard the value
of our investments