New council houses ready for tenants
New Stirling Council houses and flats especially designed to meet the requirements of adults with learning disabilities are ready for new tenants.
Built on the site of the former Torbrex House on Torbrex Road by Cruden Building & Renewals Ltd the new homes were partly funded by the Scottish Government and are all owned and maintained by Stirling Council's Housing Service.
The brightly coloured new housing development includes six particular needs flats, a respite flat suitable for someone who uses a wheelchair, a ground floor staff support
hub and three family homes.
Stirling Council Housing Portfolio Holder Councillor Alasdair MacPherson said: "I'm delighted that a key priority for this Administration to provide much needed social rented homes for our most vulnerable residents has been completed in Torbrex. Each home has been designed and constructed to a very high standard to meet the particular needs of the tenant and to meet Housing for Varying Needs and Secured by Design standards making them very energy efficient to reduce heating costs."
On accepting the keys to his new home from Councillor MacPherson,
new tenant Duncan Turner said: “I’d like to thank Stirling Council for my lovely new home. I’m looking forward to being more independent and I’ll enjoy living by myself and meeting my new neighbours.”
Minister for Housing Keith Brown said: "Scottish Government funding is helping local authorities across the country to reverse the decades of decline in council
house building. Stirling Council is driving forward with an ambitious council house building programme, backed by over £4 million from the Scottish Government. It is good news for families in Stirling that want access to high quality, affordable homes."
Cruden Building & Renewals Ltd’s Managing Director, Allan Callaghan commented: “Having seen the quality of the final product and talked with the residents we are delighted that these units have been so well received by all parties and that we could play our part in their delivery.”
The Council's Housing Services worked closely with the Council's Social Services to design the properties to meet the particular needs of each tenant with regular meetings with the families of the tenants to talk through the proposals, the progress of the work and any issues they may have had.
This is the final development in the
first round of the Council's House Building programme. Other developments in this round have included the conversion of the former Holy Trinity School to 10 temporary homeless flats, the development of a bungalow for a family with particular needs in Raploch and the conversion of the former Women's
Refuge in Bannockburn in to 4 flats.
The Council's Council House Building Programme is progressing well with two further new
build sites completed over the last year in Torbrex and St Ninians which have provided a further 28 properties of various sizes for the Council. In total, the Scottish Government has approved £4.050m of funding for the development of 147 new council houses in the Stirling area.
It is hoped that building work will start to provide 12 flats in Main Street, Killin early this year and the remainder of the current programme will see the development of 62 flats on a site opposite Stirling railway station and bungalow developments for older people in Bannockburn, Cornton, Cultenhove, Killearn, Cowie and Riverside. The Council also plans to develop 8 new homes in Thornhill.
Councillor MacPherson added: "Our new council house building programme is rapidly taking shape providing much needed social rented homes in our communities. In the current tough and challenging economic climate, the Council is delighted to be able to support the construction industry and building apprenticeship opportunities for our young people."
Torbrex House was demolished in 2010 with the building of the new development started n February
2011. Wellwood Leslie Architects designed the property.
This new development is in accordance with the Council's Development Plan Policies to provide a range of types of houses and tenure within the Council area.
Photo Shows: Stirling Council Housing Portfolio Holder Councillor Alasdair MacPherson (second, left) presents Duncan (centre) with the keys to his new home joined by some of the new Torbrex tenants, Councillors Scott Farmer and Andrew Simpson, Head of Stirling Housing Service Tony Cain (second, right), Cruden Building & Renewals Managing Director Allan Callaghan and Director John White along with family and friends of the new tenants.
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