Glasgow residents face £5,000 bills to fill in mineshafts

By RICHARD ASHMORE
Published on 27/10/2012 01:46

More than 100 people living in one of Scotland’s most desirable neighbourhoods are facing bills of thousands of pounds to prevent their homes subsiding into old mineshafts.

Residents of Jordanhill, in western Glasgow, have received letters from council officials saying they will have to pay around £5,000 each towards a six-month programme of works to fill in the mines, some of which date back to the 1690s.

Glasgow City Council has warned there are concerns the mineworkings could “cause ground movement” in the coming years, and say work is needed to “prevent collapse” in the
future.

Upmarket Jordanhill is regarded as one of the more affluent areas of the city, where the average house price varies between £450,000 and £600,000.

Many residents are attracted to the neighbourhood by its proximity to Jordanhill School, a state-funded, self-governing school that has topped league tables as the best-performing secondary in the country.

More than 100 houses are affected by the problem, and homeowners have been asked to pay half the bill for the work, which is expected to be in the
region of £1.5 million.

A letter to residents from Glasgow City Council’s geotechnical and land remediation principal official states: “The
results of this drilling show shallow mineworkings are present below your property, which the council is concerned may cause ground movements in the future.

“It is the intention of the council to organise an infilling operation which will prevent the collapse of these workings in future.”

Jean Brown, 68, chairwoman of the local community council, said: “Some may think because people here live in homes worth upwards of £400,000 that a bill of £5,000 is nothing, but a lot of people around here are retired and are living on pensions, and it is a lot of money.”