Mill of Haldane

The Mill of Haldane, usually referred to as simply The Haldane, was an entirely council-owned housing scheme in Balloch, West Dunbartonshire. Built to house working-class people, drawn from the many over-crowded terraced houses scattered throughout Alexandria, it was initially a thriving, sociable housing scheme. Like the nearby villages of Renton and Bonhill, also known for there high working-class populations, the Haldane fell into decline with the onset of high unemployment within the 'Vale' and surrounding areas. Drug and alcohol abuse along with other social deprivations helped reduce the Haldane into one of the many "slum estates" which are part of the wider area known as the Vale of Leven.

However the community spirit was never broken and recent improvements to the housing stock (including demolishing almost all the tenements)has greatly improved the general outlook for the people of the Haldane. There are still many things which blight the scheme but like Renton and Bonhill the future looks brighter for the first time in many years. The Haldane was always a scheme where you 'knew everybody' and the sense of community spirit was very strong, sadly this spirit was lost for at least a decade. As someone who has lived in the Haldane all my life I see positive signs that this community spirit is returning. At least 30% of the houses are now privately owned and this figure is growing steadily, an indication of how the Haldane is changing.

It also has a children's playpark, in the middle of the scheme, and a school, Haldane Primary.