Context 181

26 CONTEXT 181 : SEPTEMBER 2024 development west of Hanover Street; that to the east had been subject to the general controls of 1767. The system in many ways operated like a private planning system but it was not always effective as dormer windows became a feature of many roofs. There has been a growing concern that tenements are not being properly maintained. In Scotland there have been a number of initiatives led by local authorities, city heritage trusts and others to address maintenance issues. But we now have a situation where new housing and older housing owned by social landlords is maintained to a higher standard than that owned by private owners, whether owner occupied or rented. As part of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) Festival of Architecture 2016, the website Under One Roof was launched to offer independent advice. This was a development of The Tenement Handbook: a practical guide to living in a tenement (1993) by John Gilbert and Ann Flint. The website www.underoneroof.scot is now run by its own charity, known as Under One Roof, and offers advice on building maintenance, tenement management and retrofit. In a letter about grants, written in 2015 to Historic Scotland (now Historic Environment Scotland, HES), the RIAS wrote: ‘We think there is scope for HES encouraging and demonstrating support for tenement repairs. A campaign for tenement repairs meets the green agenda. The aphorism ‘the greenest building is the building you already have’ (Carl Elefante) is true. This would also help stimulate economic activity, encourage the traditional skills agenda and help with the employment of apprentices. The scheme could require tenement owners to form an owners’ association (Edinburgh World Heritage’s model is suitable) and commission a suitably qualified professional team to report on the condition of the building and identify the likely cost of repairs.’ HES provided some financial support for the Under One Roof website and later supported an INFORM guide on Tenement Maintenance. The inaugural meeting of the Scottish Parliamentary Working Group on Tenement Maintenance took place in March 2018. This was a cross-party initiative in response to a Tenements in Murrayfield Place, Edinburgh. These are within the Coltbridge and Wester Coates Conservation Area, to the north of the Water of Leith, and are part of the transition from the urban village of Roseburn to the stone terraced houses of Murrayfield. The left-hand elevation has a polished ashlar frontage above the shops. The green and red doors provide access to the upperfloor flats. 1–3 Hunter Square and 124 High Street, Edinburgh, after common repairs. Attributed to John Baxter, it was built in around 1790. With shops on the ground floor and flats above, it is Category B listed, and in the Old Town Conservation Area and World Heritage Site.

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