We’re pleased to announce another success for our Academy Court project. Last Tuesday the project won the 2019 Angus Design award for Best restoration/conversion.
The Angus Design Awards ceremony, took place at Hospitalfield House in Arbroath, on 23 April 2019. It attracted various outstanding entries from across the Angus area.
For more details about the winners see Angus Council News.
We’re pleased to report on more success for our Academy Court project. Last night the project (under its former name of Chapelpark) won the
It was chosen from 17 other projects at a celebratory dinner on the 6 December 2018 in the Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow by Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Communities, Aileen Campbell MSP.
The judges said that as well as showing a great regeneration rationale in the community, what made the project stand out above the others was our team mentality and multi-discipline co-ordination.
John Morrow, Service Leader – Housing, and Catherine Johnson, Housing Strategy Manager are pictured with the award at the ceremony.
Find out more about the project on page 10 of the Awards Publication 2018.
SURF is the Scottish Regeneration Forum which aims to promote and recognise work to regenerate communities nationally.
Our Academy Court project has been commended in the Best Social Housing Initiative category in the MJ Achievement Awards announced at a national event in London.
The Awards have been held every year since 2004, rewarding many officers, managers teams and councils. The MJ Awards ceremony is one of the major events within the public sector calendar.
The MJ is an intelligence and news resource for anyone who needs to know about UK local authorities.
The Scottish Government Minister for local government, housing and planning, Kevin Stewart visited the former Chapelpark School, now transformed into modern council houses, and now known as Academy Court.
The minister met with Academy Court tenants, elected members and officers who gave a tour of the redeveloped B-listed buildings.
Housing spokesperson Cllr Craig Fotheringham said:
I am delighted to host this visit to the new Academy Court so that the Minister can see the transformation first-hand. There has been a fantastic response to these new homes, with over 700 people coming along to the Open Day in July. These are modern homes with a number of innovative and exciting technologies, which, coupled with the history of the buildings, have made these homes attractive to our tenants. I’m positive that this enthusiasm will be retained and future generations will also be proud to call Academy Court ‘home’.
More than 700 people came along to see the new Academy Court properties at Saturday’s Open Day in the former Chapelpark school buildings.
Many people came along because it was their old school, both former pupils and teachers alike.
The fine weather added to the enjoyment of the people who attended, who spoke with Housing staff about the new properties and shared their own personal memories of the old school.
We welcome the new tenants to the development and wish them well in their new homes.
We thank the people of Forfar for joining us for this event and for their interest in our work.
Scroll down for more photos from Saturday’s event.
Come along and see the transformation of the former Chapelpark buildings and grounds.
Academy Court in Forfar now provides the latest and most modern Council houses that people can be proud to call home.
An Open Day is being held at Academy Court (formerly Chapelpark School)
Academy Street, Forfar
on Saturday 14 July
from 10am – 2pm.
The event will give the public, former pupils and staff , a chance to see the new development before tenants move in.
Housing spokesperson Cllr Craig Fotheringham said:
I’m delighted to see the completion of these new housing options for tenants. They are truly modern homes, with their innovative heating and energy efficiency features. Their design and construction ensures that the character of the original buildings has been retained for future generations to enjoy.
Cllr Lois Speed, housing spokesperson, said:
This development provides much needed housing for a range of household sizes and types, including new options for households with disabilities. Its central location, close to essential amenities, will be great for our tenants. The design and construction methods used are also sympathetic to the environment as we try to reduce our carbon footprint.
For more details see our news page
Unfortunately, the opening of the new Academy Court (the former Chapelpark School) in Forfar has been delayed. Once work had started, the contractor discovered that the existing buildings needed additional engineering works. Poor weather then delayed the external works on the site.
Housing Service Manager, John Morrow said:
“Whilst this is disappointing, it is not unusual for developments which transform iconic buildings into a new use, to be more complex than originally foreseen. We believe this significant housing development will breathe new life into this landmark building, and this part of Forfar.”
We held a very well-attended Meet and Greet session at the Reid Hall in Forfar this week for the new tenants at Academy Court (the former Chapelpark school). The properties won’t be ready for a few months, but this was an opportunity for everyone to get to know each other a bit better, and to get some important information from the various services who took stalls at the event.
Here are some more photos from the event:
We thank all the tenants and elected members who gave up their time to come along, and staff from all the services who were represented:
Angus Council Housing News 