Council house building comes on stream

The Highland Council this week marked the completion of the first council houses to be built in three Highland communities for at least 16 years.

Tenants were welcomed into their homes at Nairn, Portree and Strathpeffer.  The Council has built and is building 202 houses throughout the Highlands and its longer term target is to build 750 houses over the next four years.

At Corsee Gardens, Nairn,  eight two-bedroomed bungalows for older people have been built on part of the site of the former Corsee Home, Nairn, They were built by contractor UBC Group Ltd. The cost is £825,000.
At Urquart Court, Portree, the Council has redeveloped a former training workshop off Dunvegan Road to build six two-bedroomed flats at a cost of  £750,000.    The contractor was Global Construction.  

At Strathpeffer, four flats and four bungalows have been built at Ardival Courtr on a former Council road sign shop site at a cost of  £900,000.  The work was carried out by O’Brien Properties.

Councillor Margaret Davidson, Chairman of the Council’s Housing and Social Work Committee, said: “I am so pleased that the Council is once again building council houses.  This makes such a difference in our communities.  In providing much-needed affordable housing, it  tackles the challenges of our acute housing needs in the Highlands.

“It also gives a boost to the building industry at times of recession.  So this is a win:win situation for the Highlands.”

The Council is currently spending £8 million per year on building council houses and also assists with the provision of affordable housing by housing associations and other housing providers.

The progress being made was widely welcomed by members of the Council’s Housing and Social Work Committee, which met in Inverness today (Wednesday).