Sustainable Backcourts Initiative (Kelvin Clyde Greenspace)
www.greenspacescotland.org.uk
www.kelvinclydegreenspace.org.uk
Residents of this traditional Glasgow tenement block formed a group to clear the neglected and overgrown backcourt area. With support from Kelvin Clyde Greenspace they removed dumped rubbish, cleared unwanted plants and gradually brought the area back to its former glory.
Approximately 70% of the population of Glasgow live in tenements, many of which were built around 1900. Despite changes to many of the tenement backcourts in the 1980's, many of them are poorly designed to meet modern needs.
Representatives of a the residents group from Gibson Street, Otago Street and Westbank Quadrant (GOW), a triangle of tenements in the West End Hillhead area of Glasgow, approached Kelvin Clyde Greenspace (KCG) to ask for assistance with managing the backcourts, which had become overgrown and largely unused. Bin stores situated in the backcourts were inadequate and attracting vermin. The amount of rubbish produced by the 200 or so residents was too much for the old-fashioned tin bin system to cope with; the bin shelters were in a dilapidated state and there were fly-tipping problems in the area.
KCG looked at the backcourt area - which shares the same problems as many backcourts in Glasgow - and realised that the solution would not be either simple or short-term.
KCG helped the residents form a management Committee and draft a Constitution to enable them to apply for grants or other financial support. They also helped to publicise community clean-up days, providing tools and advice. They called in the Coach House Trust, based at Belmont St Lane, to assist with managing the overgrown areas. Soon the backcourt was transformed into a brighter, lighter, more attractive area which residents felt safe to use.
In 2002 KCG, in association with five local Housing Associations, formed the Sustainable Backcourts Initiative (SBI). The initiative is looking at how tenement backcourts can be improved to meet 21st century needs by introducing community recycling facilities, managed gardens and recreational facilities into this and other backcourts in Glasgow.
In the spring of 2005 the SBI partners were awarded £245,000 through the Strategic Waste Fund to implement changes into the four pilot backcourt areas. GOW received over £30,000 to employ a resident 'Recycling Champion' to encourage other residents to recycle and to make the landscape changes that would facilitate recycling such as the provision of dedicated recycling shelters.
GOW residents have successfully demonstrated that the determination and enthusiasm of a few individuals can encourage community participation and cohesion. It also demonstrates how, through consultation and partnership working, communities can bring about lasting change to create a valued resource managed along sustainable principles.