First new council homes for 20 years

Jan 13 2009 by Les Stewart, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

PERTH and Kinross Council are planning to build 26 affordable houses – the first local authority homes to be constructed by them for over 20 years.

Two sites have already been earmarked for the £3.611 million development – at Rorrie Terrace, Methven, and Fortingall Place, Letham, Perth.

Housing and Health convener, Councillor Peter Barrett, said that the projects would allow them to build more urgently-needed affordable homes for families.

But he stressed: “We are not building new houses at the expense of quality improvements to our present tenants.”

Councillors have agreed to back a submission to the Scottish Government for a slice of the £25 million they are planning to invest in new council house building.

The council are hoping to get up to £650,000 – a maximum subsidy of £25,000 per house – from Holyrood.

Twenty houses are planned for Methven – 10, four-apartment five-person, nine, four-apartment six-person and one, five-apartment, eight-person homes.

The site is owned by the council’s Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and has planning permission for a development by GS Brown, members of the council’s housing and health executive sub-committee were told.

The six houses proposed for Letham would be built on a lock-up garage site in Fortingall Place and partially on land belonging to Letham Primary School.

That won’t have any “major impact” on the green space available to the school, councillors were assured.

There will be four, four-apartment, five-person, one, five-apartment, six-person and one, five-apartment, eight-person houses.

In its submission to the Scottish Government, the council points out that the new homes will help it meet its 2012 homelessness target.

In 2007/08, the most recent full year figures available, there were a total of 1,178 homeless applications made to Perth and Kinross Council.

“With low levels of social rented housing, the council’s ability to provide both temporary and permanent accommodation is significantly tested,” explained Dave Roberts, the council’s executive director (Housing and Community Care).

If Scottish Government funding is granted, the council hope to start work on site in March, 2010, with the houses being completed in February, 2011.

Mr Roberts warns, however: “If that is not forthcoming, the funding package and viability of the project will need to be reassessed.”

If built, the new houses would add to the existing stock of 7,500 local authority houses in Perth and Kinross. They would be the first council houses built in the area since 1985.

Councillor Barrett added: “I would urge the Government to continue to support us in our efforts, as this is a vital issue for the future of Perth and Kinross.