Social housing plan for Monifieth’s Invertay House

Plans are being progressed to convert what was once Monifieth Public School into 20 council homes.

Invertay House, Monifieth

The development of Invertay House will create good quality, affordable housing that can improve the quality of life for residents by offering an environment that has positive benefits for health, financial stability and security.

Originally built in 1878 as Monifieth Public School, Invertay House provided education for both primary and secondary pupils up until 1966 and then primary education alone until its closure in 1985. More recently the building was used as office space until it was closed in 2016.

We have now submitted planning and listed building consent applications for social housing at the Maule Street site.

Communities vice-Convener Kenny Braes said: “The Invertay House site holds a lot of history, and this new development will add to this even more by bringing a valuable new asset into the community by way of high-quality affordable homes.

“Enabling the creation of much-needed new properties for social rent helps us to deliver our ambitious affordable housing targets.”

The conversion and development of Invertay House gives a new lease of life to a prominent and well-liked building in the heart of Monifieth and provides much needed affordable accommodation.

The proposals incorporate a diverse mix of open green space to aid biodiversity, to form an attractive usable environment for the community and visitors, and to create an enhanced landscape setting for the former school building.

A new public garden is proposed at the North of the site next to Maule Street.

As high-quality new homes, they will contribute to the Local Housing Strategy 2023-28 target of 76 new affordable homes each year in Angus by us and our Housing Association partners.

The development currently sits within the latest Strategic Housing Investment Plan, which sets out the affordable housing investment priorities for the next five years in Angus.

The planning application is now live. Anyone wishing to make comments can do so by going to our planning portal and planning officers will be contacting near neighbours of the proposed development shortly.

Best Group of Housing award for the new Cliffburn flats in Arbroath

We are delighted to announce that our recently completed development of 14 new flats at Cliffburn in Arbroath was voted winner in the category of ‘Best Group of Housing’ at the Dundee Institute of Architects Awards on 17 November 2022.

It’s great that the project has been very well received generally and especially by our tenants. The simple but clever design has transformed a vacant site in this part of Arbroath, and this award is recognition for the efforts of all involved.

Completion of £2-million Cliffburn housing regeneration project

The £2-million council housing development at Mayfield Terrace, Arbroath is now complete and will help to meet demand for one-bedroom properties in the town.

This is great news for the area as it revitalises a once empty site that was created when old low demand flats were cleared away several years ago as a key part of the Cliffburn regeneration.

These 14 new one bedroom homes make a very welcome addition to our housing stock and will go some way to meeting the current high demand on the Arbroath common housing register, where one bedroom properties account for 67% of all applications.

The new homes are being allocated through our choice-based lettings system, which allows applicants to bid on their preferred properties. They are then allocated based on need.

These brand new homes are built to an exacting specification, which includes very high levels of energy efficiency to minimise fuel bills for our tenants and help combat the cost of living crisis.

Our Communities Convener Mark McDonald, who visited the project today, said:

“It has been great to finally see this new development. There’s no doubt the new homes will help to improve the lives of all those who are being offered a place to live here. Our focus is to deliver high quality homes and spaces for our citizens.  This excellent development is another fantastic example of this approach and I’d like to thank all of those involved in getting us to this stage.”

This £2m investment at Cliffburn, which has been delivered over the challenging period of the pandemic, has been funded by Angus Council and the Scottish Government through its Affordable Housing Supply Programme.

These new homes are a part of our Strategic Housing Investment Plan that aims to deliver up to 775 new affordable units over five years.

Pictured – Back (left to right) – Euan McCallum, Team Leader – Housing Project, Assets; Cllr Lois Speed; John Morrow, Service Leader, Housing.

Front (left to right) – Cllr Mark McDonald, Communities Convener; Cllr Brenda Durno; Alison Smith, Director of Vibrant Communities and Sustainable Growth; Gordon Nicol, Manager, Community Housing – Arbroath; Andrea Wilson, Manager – Housing Assets; Natalie Salkilld, Housing Officer – Community Housing.

New affordable homes at Timmergreens in Arbroath

The completion of 38 new council homes for rent at Arbroath’s Emislaw Drive concludes the second phase of our Timmergreens regeneration project in Arbroath – providing affordable housing in re-designed spaces that people can be proud to call home.

As a part of this transformative project, contractor CCG (Scotland) Ltd has built in-demand affordable homes for families and single residents, with a mix of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom properties, including accommodation suitable for older disabled tenants.

Breathing new life into the area, the development replaces unattractive low demand flats and garages with a much more pleasing pedestrian-friendly environment. It complements our investment in the nearby refurbished Timmergreens Primary School, providing new safe Active Travel routes to the school, as well as improvements to the park and a new play area.

A number of tenants have already moved into their new homes and say they are delighted with the high-quality accommodation they now enjoy, which is energy-efficient and takes advantage of solar power to help minimise energy costs. 

Our Communities and Finance Convener, Cllr Mark Salmond, who visited the project today, said: “This is another example of Angus Council delivering high quality homes and spaces for our citizens.

“We are focused on providing modern, energy efficient homes that are affordable for our tenants to run. This is particularly important at the moment when we see increases in the cost of living putting pressure on household incomes. We also pay close attention to creating well designed green spaces around our homes that encourage people to walk and cycle safely, as we know how important that is for physical health and mental wellbeing.”

The Scottish Government provided additional grant funding for the project and the new properties will be managed by our Arbroath Community Housing Team.

CCG Director, John Baggley, said: “Emislaw Drive is the second development CCG has delivered as part of a strategic partnership with Angus Council. Over 50 homes have now been created and we are proud to have brought high-quality, high energy-efficient affordable homes to Arbroath. on behalf of the CCG Group, I extend my best wishes to the residents as they settle in and my thanks to the council for their efforts over the last two years”.

Photo includes Gordon Nicol (Manager, Community Housing Arbroath), Cllr King, Cllr Salmond, John Morrow (Service Leader,Housing), John Baggley (CCG Director), and Gerard  Farquharson (Architect)

Council tenants move into new homes in Arbroath

We are delighted to see tenants move in to thirteen new highly energy efficient homes in the Muirton area of Arbroath.

A site where lock-up garages once stood, now provides much-needed high-quality accommodation for affordable rent – thanks to our partnership with our construction partner CCG (Scotland).

Scottish Government provided additional grant funding for the project and the new properties will be managed by our Arbroath Community Housing Team.

Community engagement with tenants and homeowners helped to ensure that plans to deliver affordable housing reflected local views. This saw an area of Bloomfield Park (Donkey Park) absorbed into the development and improvements made to the local play park.

The Muirton site now includes new childrens’ play equipment and a new footpath/cycle path with lighting that will improve active travel and safe routes to school.  Additional car parking spaces have been provided for residents and families visiting the park. A programme of tree-planting will take place in the park this autumn.

Our Communities and Finance Convener, Cllr Mark Salmond, saw the completed project today and was delighted to be told by tenants that their new homes and environment had given them a real sense of community.

Mr Salmond said: “This is the latest example of Angus Council’s ambitions to provide high quality places and spaces for our citizens.

“We are focused on providing modern, energy efficient, affordable homes within better environments, with better facilities and improved access routes and links. We want everyone to live in places that they are proud to call home within communities that are accessible, well-connected, better and healthier places to live.”

The new Muirton development is made up of one, three and four-bedroom properties. They provide much sought-after accommodation for families, couples and single occupants and are all highly energy-efficient, taking advantage of solar power to help minimise energy costs for tenants.

CCG Scotland successfully navigated several challenges that arose as a result of COVID-19 restrictions, including social distancing and materials/workforce availability.

CCG Director, John Baggley, said: “I give my thanks to Angus Council for choosing CCG to deliver Muirton Road, the first homes of their kind formed from our strategic housing partnership. We worked closely with the Council and our partners to optimise the design of the homes whilst our advanced construction methods will deliver long-term benefits to the end-user in the form of reduced heat loss resulting in lower energy bills. Furthermore, our involvement in the development has created a legacy of value for the local community with new employment, curriculum support for local schools and a financial donation to a locally based project amongst the work undertaken during the programme. CCG look forward to completing works on a further 38 homes for Angus Council in Arbroath later in the year.”

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Keeping a steady hand on the SHIP’s tiller

Our Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) for the next five years was approved by Councillors yesterday.

The SHIP prioritises investment in new affordable housing across Angus, ensuring that we continue to meet the demand for good quality affordable homes.

Through the SHIP, it is estimated that around 550 homes could be built between now and 2026, by us l and our housing association partners, working with the local construction sector and bringing much needed investment to Angus. This requires a subsidy of around £31M from the Scottish Government’s Affordable Housing Supply Programme.

COVID-19 restrictions have severely impacted the construction sector but, despite this, we and our and our partners are determinedly continuing to deliver a full programme of new affordable housing in Angus.

250 of the new homes will be built by us as part of our ambitious five years new build programme. Funding of around £37m has been allocated from the Housing Capital Expenditure Plan 2019/24 to achieve this. This forward investment brings much needed certainty for the construction industry, which is crucial in supporting employment opportunities.

Our Communities Convenor, Cllr Mark Salmond said: “As we start the year with further pandemic restrictions, we are now more acutely aware than ever of the need for everyone in Angus to have access to good quality, affordable housing. I’m delighted that our SHIP continues to make a significant positive impact on the lives of people in Angus – it helps the economy; it helps to maintain jobs; it helps people to have safe and secure homes that are affordable; and it helps create places that people are proud to call home.”

New houses in Newtyle

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A new 12 unit council housing development in the village of Newtyle was completed last month, as part of the council’s  new build council housing programme.

Rural communities are an essential part of the Angus way of life and these new council houses will go some way to meet the need for affordable homes in these thriving rural areas.

Most of the houses will accommodate families with children including 4 homes for particular needs.  The air-tight, energy efficient homes take full advantage of solar power, helping to minimize fuel costs for tenants. In addition, fibre broadband was installed straight to the premises, to ensure good quality internet, which is essential for home working and studying in the modern home.

The development is next to Newtyle Primary School on a piece of land that formally hosted part of the old school. By converting an unused piece of brownfield land that is situated on one of the main entrance ways to the village, as well as the school, we are ensuring key improvements to the look and feel of the village.

We have tried to ensure that the Newtyle Primary School children have gained, and continue to gain, some real life learning from the construction of these houses. Community benefits are a key part of the contractor selection process and Bancon Construction delivered site safety talks, and organised poster competitions site visits, as well as providing some unused materials to aid their learning.

Our Parks colleagues have also egnaged with the school when it comes to some planting so that the children not only have input into what’s planted but also gain crucial knowledge of biodiversity issues.

Community engagement has been key throughout with regular engagement about the proposed development, with the community ultimately voting on the new name for the street.

The new properties, which are funded by both the Scottish Government and us are managed by Forfar Community Housing Team.

The Newtyle project has been shortlisted in the Housing and Regeneration Category of the Surf Awards. The award winners will be announced closer to Christmas.

To see the new houses watch our video

 

History in the fabric of Brechin’s new affordable homes

There is a rich seam of history that can be detected in our new affordable homes at Brechin’s Damacre Road.

The ten new homes, in a range of sizes designed to meet the local community’s needs, regenerate a site formerly occupied by Damacre School, which played a formative role in many Brechiners’ lives over many decades. Our design team wanted to retain some of that important history for future residents to appreciate. As such, slate from the old school has been incorporated into the roof facing Damacre Road, and stone has been carefully preserved and transformed for use as pillars. The existing stone wall and railings have also been kept on the road front, framing the character of this development.

We were also delighted to work with Angus historian, Steve Nicoll, to incorporate a tribute into the project to the school’s best-known former pupil, Sir Robert Watson Watt. A blue plaque attached to the stone walls commemorates his time at the school and the significant contribution he made to the outcome of World War II.

Mr Nicoll said: “This plaque now forms the fourth in a local scheme that recognises places of significance in Brechin. Three of them are dedicated to Brechin’s most famous son and ‘lad o pairts’, Sir Robert Alexander Watson Watt. One at Union Street, another at Maisondieu School and now here at Damacre.

“It’s so important to remember that every great individual had to start somewhere, and Brechin is justifiably proud of providing an education that endured, a talent that transformed, and a humility that honours”.

Communities Convener, Cllr Mark Salmond said: “We’re proud to be delivering this housing development at the heart of Brechin. This is a vital housing scheme that will increase the supply of affordable homes for residents. It is also a pleasure to see that it retains the historical connections with Sir Robert Watson-Watt.”

Pert Bruce Construction are the main contractor and they have made additional contributions to the local area during the construction. They sponsored several local events and used many local suppliers in the development, while also creating the opportunity for apprentices to gain valuable experience on site.

The Damacre Road properties are all built with the future very much in mind – they are highly energy efficient homes incorporating solar panels, that will ensure lower carbon emissions, as well as more affordable energy bills for tenants. Fibre connections are also integral to the homes, to ensure access to high speed broadband, helping tenants to work or study from home more effectively.

Sir Robert Alexander Watson Watt FRS was a brilliant scientist and in the vanguard of efforts to repel a Nazi invasion of Britain in 1941. His inspired leadership of the team that developed Radar assisted the RAF to win the battle of Britain against the Luftwaffe in the skies over southern England. Operation Sealion, the planned invasion of Britain, was cancelled as a result of the genius of Sir Robert.

A grateful nation rightly showered him with praise and awards. Arguably, his timely contribution changed the course of the war and its eventual outcome. Sir Robert went to extraordinary lengths to acknowledge that he owed everything he had achieved to his primary education at Damacre School in Brechin and teacher Bessie Mitchell.

Damacre School stood on this site a few hundred metres from his birthplace in Union Street. The school may be gone but the immeasurable contribution it made to Watson Watt, and this nation, has not been forgotten. The blue plaque is a permanent reminder of the importance of a ‘guid Scottish education’.

Photos of the Damacre Road development :

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More one-bedroom homes for Arbroath

Building is underway at our new housing development in Mayfield Terrace, Arbroath,which will have 14 one-bedroom flats for affordable rent.

The new flats will help to meet rising demand for one bedroom properties in Arbroath and Angus and forms the missing piece of the jigsaw in Arbroath’s Cliffburn area which has undergone comprehensive regeneration in recent years.

Seven brand new ground floor properties will provide specialist housing for older or disabled residents. This will help to deliver on our Local Housing Strategy commitment of 20% of new-build affordable housing for households with particular needs.

Our Convener of Communities, Cllr Mark Salmond said: “I am delighted that we are building these much-needed flats in Arbroath. They represent the culmination of widescale improvements delivered by the Council to revitalise the Cliffburn area.

“I’m especially pleased that half of these sought after flats will be suitable for people with particular needs. The demand for one-bedroom affordable homes continues to grow, so it is important that we make suitable provision for people who not only need smaller properties, but who may also have mobility challenges.”

The £2m development is funded by our Housing Revenue Account with a contribution from the Scottish Government through their Affordable Housing Supply Programme.

CHAP Construction is building our new flats, with anticipated completion by the end of 2021.

Projected Aerial views:

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More affordable homes for Monifieth

In the latest part of our determination to make the local housing market as accessible as possible for home seekers, 22 affordable homes will be built at Victoria Grange in Monifieth.

Taylor Wimpey East Scotland is building 12 two-bedroomed homes and 10 three-bedroomed homes in partnership with us as part of our new supply shared equity scheme. Work is expected to complete in summer 2021.

The 22 homes form the final tranche of affordable housing on the development, which includes a range of two-bedroomed mid-terrace and semi-detached houses, as well as three-bedroomed terraced and semi-detached homes across four locations, including three Angus Housing Association sites. This exciting development will form an integral part of the new neighbourhood at Victoria Grange in Monifieth.

Taylor Wimpey has designed and created an affordable housing range that has allowed its team to work closely with us and our Housing Association partners to create affordable homes with a mix of tenures. On completion, this project will have delivered 84 affordable homes for Angus residents.

Our Communities Convener, Cllr Mark Salmond said: “We are delighted to be delivering new properties in partnership with Taylor Wimpey that will be made available through Angus Council’s new supply shared equity scheme in the summer of 2021.

“Low Cost Home Ownership is a crucial component in our commitment to increase the supply of affordable housing in Angus and will supplement the social housing already delivered on this site. We will help to sustain our local communities by providing a range of routes into home ownership for those people on more modest incomes.”

Pauline Mills, Land and Planning Director for Taylor Wimpey East Scotland, said: “Reaching the conclusion of this agreement for Victoria Grange marks another milestone on the journey towards completing the new community that’s growing at this established development in Monifieth.

“We’ll continue to work closely with Angus Council in order to complete the final 22 affordable homes by summer next year, in turn allowing the local community to reap the benefits of our long-term investment in the area.”

Applications for this scheme are not being accepted yet but should be in early 2021, with the properties due for completion by around August 2021 (subject to delay).

Further information, including how to apply, will follow in due course. Please go to the Monifieth, The Grange dedicated pages on our website for more information and qualifying criteria or email grange@angus.gov.uk.