| AdminHistory | There were 721 properties in existence when the area that was to become Livingston was designated in 1962. Excluding local authority housing, which numbered some 207 properties, the Corporation acquired this property by negotiation and based on market value. By 1977, this number, mainly through planned demolition, had been reduced to 88 pre-designation properties that were not owned by the Local Authority. The Development Corporation also acquired a number of properties outwith the designated area for other uses, such as the purchasing of a house in Bathgate to house the General Manager.
These old houses had a variety of fates - some were simply demolished, some were damaged by fire and demolished, others were leased to caretakers, sold to private parties, or developed into dwellings or office accommodation. One of the most notable uses of the old, pre-existing buildings in the Livingston area was their conversion into community centres, a policy actively pursued, where possible, after the conversion of Craigsfarm in the Craigshill area of Livingston in the late 1960s.
Although the housing department had responsibility for the management of tenants and the commissioning of repairs, it was the Commercial Directorate that was responsible for disposing of or developing the properties into other uses. |