London: Mr Stephen Booth Corporate Landlord and all Elected Members

Aberdeen City Council

Marischal College 

Broad Street

Aberdeen 

AB10 1AB

Open Letter to Stephen Booth, Corporate Landlord, and All Elected Members

I write to you amidst significant distress caused by Aberdeen City Council’s questionable and deeply troubling decisions regarding the Balnagask Estate in Torry. These actions have created undue anxiety and fear within our community.

Despite numerous attempts by my daughter Hannah and me to highlight the plight of homeowners trapped in negative equity due to RAAC-affected roofs—defects originating from council-built properties sold under the Right-to-Buy scheme—the Council is pressing ahead with a voluntary agreement process that has been overwhelmingly rejected by residents. Homeowners have made it clear they will not engage unless offers reflect pre-RAAC-declaration valuations, which would be a fair and just baseline given the history of these properties.

On 13th November, the Scottish Parliament Petitions Committee reviewed our RAAC petition and responded with decisive and supportive actions:

Next Steps and Actions:

1.         Petition Status: MSP David Torrance proposed keeping the petition open to gather more information and pursue further actions.

2.         Consulting Experts: The committee will seek input from Built Environment Forum Scotland, RICS, the Chartered Institution of Building, and the Royal Incorporation of Architects of Scotland regarding the petition's concerns.

3.         Engagement with Housing Minister: The committee will highlight that current local authority schemes primarily offer advice, not financial support, which is a concern for affected homeowners.

4.         UK Government Funding: Updates will be requested on discussions with the UK Government about funding for RAAC remediation, including potential use of UK Budget allocations by the Scottish Government.

5.         Home Report Standards: The committee will ask the Housing Minister about plans to update home reports to include essential structural details for future buyers.

6.         Evidence Gathering: MSP Jackson Carlaw stressed the importance of collecting evidence from stakeholders, potentially including a session with the Housing Minister.

The petition will remain open as the committee gathers evidence and engages with the Housing Minister and UK Government. A future meeting to take formal evidence from the minister is being considered to address the concerns of RAAC-impacted homeowners and explore meaningful solutions.  

Aberdeen City Council stands alone in Scotland in pursuing a voluntary agreement process despite limited resources and ongoing public opposition. Simultaneously, you have approved a new development without secured funding, risking significant financial and reputational consequences should this escalate to a public inquiry. Residents view the Council’s actions as akin to a modern Scottish Clearance, prioritizing profit over people by replacing existing homes with developments likely to yield substantial gains for the Council.

The Balnagask Estate represents one of the UK’s most deprived communities, as evidenced by national deprivation indices. It is unacceptable for the Council to proceed without offering a fair deal to homeowners. We therefore urge you to:

1.         Suspend the Voluntary Agreement Process: Await the outcomes of our petition and its associated findings before continuing with this controversial and inequitable approach.

2.         Demonstrate Empathy and Leadership: Reverse the bleak narrative of bureaucratic indifference by taking meaningful, community-focused action.

Sincerely,

Wilson Chowdhry

Chairman