RESIDENTS at a recently completed housing development in Ferguslie Park marked the milestone by welcoming the Scottish Housing Minister to their new homes.
Paul McLennan MSP visited the Tannahill development to meet residents and tour the site.
The development, built by Renfrewshire Council and AS Homes on the former St Fergus Primary School site, features 101 new energy-efficient homes.
The mix of properties includes two, three and four-bedroom houses, one and two-bedroom cottage flats and one and two-bedroom bungalows.
The majority of the new homes are council-owned, with a small number being sold to owners within the Tannahill regeneration area through the Scottish Government’s New Supply Shared-Equity scheme.
The project received support from the Scottish Government's affordable housing supply programme.
Mr McLennan said: “I was delighted to visit Ferguslie Park to see the positive impact that the new homes are having on the community and hear firsthand from tenants about the impact it has had on their lives.
“These 101 new homes, backed by almost £7million of Scottish Government funding, will play a valuable role in boosting the affordable housing supply in Renfrewshire.
“Everyone deserves a warm and safe place to call home and these high-quality, energy-efficient properties will help to meet the needs of the local community for generations to come.
“We remain focused on delivering 110,000 affordable homes across Scotland by 2032 with at least 70% for social rent and 10% in our rural and island communities.”
As part of the ongoing community-led regeneration of the Ferguslie Park area, this project acknowledged that working in partnership with the local community was an integral part of delivering this vision, as many of the residents had lived in the area for a number of years.
Throughout the seven-year project, extensive consultation was carried out with tenants, owners, and local groups.
This pro-active approach was recognised at the Scottish Homes Awards, winning the Housing Regeneration Project of the Year and Large Affordable Housing Development of the Year.
Owner Angela Telford met the minister during his visit.
Having lived in the Tannahill area for more than 36 years, she was initially nervous to move but is now content in her new home.
She said: “It was my family home I left, so it was a real tug to leave it, but looking at it now when I see what I have I’m delighted.
“Most of my neighbours from Tannahill are all round about me so it’s still all familiar. They’ve considered how they’ve housed us, so we still have our wee community.
“When I got the keys for the house and started moving my things in it was wonderful. Within a couple of days, I felt as if I’d always been here.
“It all flows really well and it’s wheelchair accessible. The big kitchen and bathroom are great.
“We can sit and eat dinner in the kitchen now which we couldn’t do before.”
Sarah Lappin, who was born in Ferguslie Park and lived in Tannahill Terrace for 22 years, moved into a new bungalow.
She said: “I couldn’t wait to move into my new place. I didn’t realise how big the house would be. I love the space and how quiet it is.”
During the consultation with the regeneration team, Sarah had requested to be nearby her neighbour and friend Betty. The two now live next door to one another in the new development.
Sarah said: “Betty is a good neighbour, she gets the papers for me in the morning and sometimes if I’m feeling up to it I walk along with her so it’s nice to have her so close by.”
Councillor Marie McGurk, convener of the Communities and Housing Policy Board at Renfrewshire Council, said: “It was so important to work collaboratively with them throughout the planning for the regeneration of their community to ensure they not only had new homes which were desirable and affordable, but that their sense of community would also be retained.
“It’s so rewarding to see the completed development and meet with residents to hear, first-hand, about the sense of pride they have in their new homes and the positive impacts the development has had on the community.”
Paul Kelly, managing director of AS Homes, added: "Seeing the positive reactions from the Tannahill Community to their new Ferguslie Park homes has been a source of immense pride for everyone at AS Homes."
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