Friday September 4th 2026
The council has agreed to sell off No118 in Armadale's Shaw Avenue, one of the largest post-war housing estates in the town
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Stuart Sommerville
A crumbling 1950s council house and shop unit will be sold off by West Lothian Council.
The sale of the council house in Armadale and commercial unit in Whitburn was agreed by councillors on the Executive this week.
Councillors heard semi-detached home had become “a burden” to the Housing department.
A report to councillors said: “Both properties are currently vacant and are no longer required for the delivery of services.”
In his report Darren Stenhouse, Interim Strategic Property Asset Manage, said: “The residential property at 118 Shaw Avenue, Armadale is held on the Housing Revenue Account (HRA). As part of the process to declare a HRA property asset surplus to requirements, the Tenant’s Panel are required to be consulted.
“The Tenant’s Panel has been consulted on the proposed disposal of this property and no issues or objections have been raised. Monies received from the sale of HRA assets are allocated to the HRA and can be reinvested to improve the existing stock.”
“The commercial premises at 211 West Main Street, Whitburn are owned by the council and held on General Services Account.”
A report on the house said: “The house is in poor condition and has a history of structural issues with structural underpinning and a substantial refurbishment required. The estimated cost of repairs are prohibitive with known significant settlement and subsidence issues.
“The property represents a burden on the council in terms of maintenance and associated property holding costs.”
Answering questions from Councillor Pauline Orr, Marjory Mackie, the Housing Strategy and Development Manager said that the house was one of a housing scheme built in the 1950s and semi detached.
Councillor Orr asked if officers were sure that the house would sell given structural issues behind the decision to sell it. Ms Mackie replied “We shall see what offers are made.”
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