Our Plans to Increase Affordable Housing in Angus

Our aspiring Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) was approved by Councillors last week.

The SHIP was developed in partnership with Housing Associations and the Angus Health and Social Care Partnership, along with our own planning and property services sections. The main purpose of the Plan is to set out the investment priorities for affordable housing over a five year period.

The SHIP makes sure we and our partners deliver housing which meets the needs of the local community and informs Scottish Government investment decisions. It includes affordable housing supply through new build, replacement, renovation and re-modelling.

We and our partners aim to deliver 120 new affordable homes each year, significantly increasing development over the lifetime of the LHS and beyond. This target was exceeded in 2018/19 with 128 units delivered across Angus. Up to the end of August 2019, 38 units have been completed, and it’s likely that the target of 120 units will be exceeded again this year.

Funding for affordable housing has been increased in recent years to meet the national target of 50,000 affordable homes within the lifetime of the current Scottish parliament. Our SHIP estimates that around 510 units could be delivered in the period to 2024/25, with the Council set to deliver around 272 of those homes.

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Design Award for Academy Court

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.

Regeneration of Timmergreens, Arbroath – Safety Advice for Residents

The first phase of the regeneration of Timmergreens has begun at Emislaw Drive and Spitalfield Place where our main contractor CCG (Scotland) Ltd will build 38 new affordable homes. Burnfield Demolitions Ltd have now started clearing the site to make way for the new development.

The demolition works will last for about 16 weeks, and work on the new homes will begin in early 2020. Burnfield Demolitions Ltd have prepared the site in accordance with health and safety requirements by establishing a site perimeter and staff welfare facilities. The demolition itself will happen in stages and every effort will be made to minimise the increased levels of dust and noise which are likely to arise.  Whilst the area fenced off has been kept to a minimum to ensure local residents can still use the adjacent parkland, access to the fenced off site is strictly prohibited

CCG’s Contracts Manager, John Baggley, and Health and Safety Manager, Andrew Blair, visited the pupils of Timmergreens Primary School on Thursday 4 April to talk about thedemolition works and site safety.

Academy Court Awarded Best Group Housing by the DIA

Our acclaimed affordable housing development at Academy Court in Forfar picked up its first award last night at the Dundee Institute of Architects annual recognition of the best new architecture and design in Tayside. The renewal of the old school buildings into fresh and vibrant new Council homes for rent was voted best group housing project.

The scheme has also been short listed for a number of other awards. Perhaps more importantly though, the new homes have been given huge approval by the community for whom the buildings play such an important role in the social fabric of Forfar.

See our previous post for other awards which could come Academy Court’s way.

Timmergreens Regeneration Update

 

We appreciate the feedback on the proposals and the comments received from local residents. We have worked with the design team and changed the plans from those initially publicised.  The plans for the Emislaw site have been submitted for planning approval.  The main changes to the proposals include:

• The removal of one block of housing in the park area to the south of the site.
• Re-routing the new pedestrian /cycle link to meet up with the bus stop on Arbirlot Road.
•  Reviewing the space around the block at the north of the site to maximise distance between the gable elevations of the block and the existing adjacent properties.

As we advised in the previous post, the  feedback from local residents on the Emislaw Drive/Spitalfield Place site has helped to shape the final plans for the first site to be submitted for planning approval. The Emislaw site has now progressed and there is an application in for planning permission. The Emislaw proposals are available on our Planning website and residents have an opportunity to formally comment on these.

You can see the planning application for the Emislaw site online on our Planning website.

Positive Progress on Timmergreens Regeneration

Plans to deliver more modern, higher quality properties for our tenants in the Timmergreens area of Arbroath are moving ahead. The aim is to improve the environment and quality of life for people living in the area.

We consulted tenants and other residents in Timmergreens on proposals to improve the area in the summer of 2017. There was overwhelming support for the draft programme, which was approved by our Communities Committee on 20 August 2017. Since then, we have been rehousing the tenants of properties earmarked for demolition

Feedback from local residents on the Emislaw Drive/Spitalfield Place site has helped to shape the final plans for the first site to be submitted for planning approval this month.
See our website for more.

Hundreds Turn Out for Academy Court Open Day in Forfar

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.

Goodbye Chapelpark, Welcome Academy Court – Open Day, Saturday 14 July

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

Timmergeens Have Your Say Event

 

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The event was very well attended and many Timmergreens residents took the opportunity to speak with officers about the regeneration plans for the area.

Here are some photos from the drop-in session.

Have Your Say on the Timmergreens of the Future

We’re calling on residents of the Timmergreens area in Arbroath to get involved in the conversation about how the neighbourhood will look for years to come.

The people of Timmergreens can influence the plans for the area and to hear what the community thinks, we will hold a key public consultation event next week.

Come along to:

Arbroath United Cricket Club

Keptie Road, Arbroath

on Thursday 5 July

from 3pm to 6pm 

Housing spokesman, Cllr Craig Fotheringham said:

I want as many people as possible who either live or have a stake in the Timmergreens area to come along and have their say. They can help to shape and influence the layout of the homes and environment, and how it can best work for them.

The project, which involves the demolition of 140 flats, was approved by our Communities Committee in August 2017. It is aimed at providing more modern properties, a better environment, and improving people’s overall quality of life. New homes will be built at Emislaw Drive, Spitalfield Place, Newton Avenue and Muirton Road.

The Timmergreens area was identified for regeneration (see our previous post) due to its higher than average numbers of low demand properties (which is characterised by a small waiting list, high numbers of empty houses, high refusal rate and low level of tenancy sustainment).

For more details see Angus Council news.