Labour health spokesperson Cathy Jamieson MSP has opened Ayrshire Housing’s latest development in the Ayrshire village of Maidens. The seven houses are the first to be built for rent in the village for over 30 years.
Welcoming Mrs Mary Cook to her new home, Ms Jamieson said:
“This excellent development has been made possible by funding from the Scottish and UK governments and South Ayrshire Council, but most of all by the hard work of Ayrshire Housing. I am delighted to see the focus in meeting a range of needs and on energy efficiency in the design of the houses.
“Ayrshire Housing has warned of a serious shortage of funds for new developments and there is a danger that the pipeline of activity will dry up. Labour said that the number of new homes being built by the sector as a whole has slumped by a third.
“If we are serious about sustaining our rural communities then we need to build more affordable homes for rent, not less.
“Most families who have lived in a local area want to remain in that local area and they shouldn’t find themselves having to move away from their local community, from their family and friends.
“The Scottish Government needs to have a step change in their approach. We need to see many more houses built right across Scotland and that needs sustainable funding put in place.”
The total cost of this lifetime homes project was £1.2m. It was designed by Ayr based ARP Lorimer and Associates and built by the Prestwick contractor, Ashleigh (Scotland) Ltd. Thanks to additional funding from South Ayrshire Council and the Energy Saving Trust, all the houses benefit from air source heat pumps or solar hot water panels. The efficiency and ease of use of these will be monitored over the next 12 months by Napier University.