Invergordon welcomes new Council house tenants

Ten new council homes in Invergordon are the latest to be completed by The Highland Council as part of a 257-house Highland-wide project supported by the Scottish Government.

The new tenants at Joss Street were welcomed by Councillor Dave Fallows, Chairman of the Finance Housing and Resources Committee, and Ward Member for Cromarty Firth, Councillor Martin Rattray.

Councillor Fallows said: “All over the Highlands, after a gap of far too many years, we can once again build council houses. For the tenants of these marvelous new houses, this is the answer to a prayer of a permanent home at an affordable cost.  Every new council house we build will make somebody’s day, as I’m quite sure Anthony and Carly will testify.”

The construction of the council houses has been carried out in partnership with Albyn Housing Society who has completed an additional 14 affordable units on the site.

The Council wants 5,000 new homes provided in the Highlands by 2017, including 600 council houses.

The new homes in Joss Street are designed to be energy efficient; exceeding the current energy ratings set by Building Standards and are built upon the Council’s redeveloped town centre site.  The heating systems are fuelled by mains gas and are powered by a combi-boiler and benefit from under floor heating.

They have all been rented to tenants who are either existing council tenants who are transferring to a new home or are applicants from the Highland Housing Register.  Ownership and management of the ten houses will remain in Council hands. 

Carly Yeaman and Anthony Wilson moved into their new two bedroomed flat from a one bedroomed flat. Carly said: “We are extremely happy with our new home and it will improve our life and bringing up our daughter.” 

The flats were built by local contractor O’Brien Properties and were successfully project managed by Albyn.  The architect for the homes was award winning Trevor Black Associates and the Quantity Surveyor was Torrance Partnership – both companies are based in Invergordon.  The ten homes cost £0.973m with £300,000 grant funding from the Scottish Government.