River Clyde Homes is to take part in the Doors Open Day celebrations across Scotland during September for the first time.

The Inverclyde-based housing association is investing more than £26 million to regenerate the Broomhill area of Greenock. At its heart are three multi-storey blocks built in the late 1960s/early 1970s.

Once seen as being the height of modernity, taking account of the dilapidated tenements they replaced, they have remained a popular style of living for 45 years. However the heating systems are outdated and expensive to run and the fabric of the blocks looks tired. That is all about to change over the next three years.

Before the works start, River Clyde Homes is offering the opportunity for Doors Open Day visitors to see the stunning views of the River Clyde from a 10th floor flat of Whinhill Court, a 15 storey block, over the weekend of 12 and 13 September from 11am – 4pm.

There is also the chance to see, for the first time, an exhibition of photographs by the locally acclaimed, but anonymous photographer, who runs the Dark Side o’ Inverclyde site on Facebook which has attracted almost 3000 likes. The pictures, in noir-inspired black and white, raise questions about what goes on behind the façade and will focus on the Broomhill area.

River Clyde Homes board member, Ronnie Ahlfeld, said: “Broomhill is one of the biggest regeneration projects in Scotland at the moment. Doors Open Day is a brilliant initiative that takes place across Scotland giving people a chance to ‘see behind the keyhole’ of buildings not normally open to the public. I think people might be surprised. Our hope is that people will come and see for themselves the quality of the Broomhill flats and how spectacular the views are. Aside from the exclusive exhibition of photography, and the chance to win a print, there is a chance for visitors to see our plans for the area’s regeneration; a project that is now well underway.”

Once the works are complete the area will look transformed to provide modern homes with low-cost heating systems in an area with an improved local environment close to Greenock town centre.

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