Commonwealth Games demolition plan faces growing backlash

A petition has been made against the demolition of five tower blocks in Glasgow [GETTY]

By last night, 8,600 people had signed an online petition against the idea.

Commonwealth Games organisers provoked an outcry when they revealed that five of the six remaining blocks in the citys Red Road complex will be blown up on July 23.

The demolition will be beamed live to the opening ceremony at Celtic Park and be seen by millions of TV viewers.

Games chiefs claim razing the derelict 1960s blocks will show Glasgow is changing for the better and celebrate the role the flats have played in the lives of city families.

But thousands of people have disagreed and backed an online petition set up by former Scottish Socialist Party MSP Carolyn Leckie.

The place means a lot to people. They have fond memories of it

Robina Brown Anderson

Critics say the idea is insensitive to former residents and to the asylum seekers who occupy the sixth block, which is due for demolition at a later date.

The son of Sam Bunton, the flats architect, is disgusted. Len Bunton, whose father died in 1974, said: The decision almost speaks of a contemptuous attitude, We hate this place, lets rip it down. Weve seen the demise of shipbuilding and other elements of Glasgows history. To glorify the demolition is appalling. The more I think about it, the angrier I become.

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Commonwealth Games demolition plan faces growing backlash