Minister Opens Alloa Housing Development
Published on:
16
June 2010
Minister for Housing & Communities, Alex Neil MSP was the special guest of Ochil View Housing Association today (Wednesday 16th June) when he officially opened a £5.2m affordable housing development at Ash Grove in Alloa.
The development, jointly undertaken with Edinburgh-based Trust Housing Association, consists of 40 detached and semi detached houses suitable for a range of needs including the elderly, young families and households with particular mobility requirements.
Situated in the Bowmar Masterplan area of South East Alloa the development is the latest project completed by Ochil View and the official opening marked both the Associations 21st anniversary and the completion of the organisations 1300th property.
The Associations Chairperson, Teresa McNally, said: "The Association is delighted to welcome the Minister for Housing and Communities Alex Neil to Alloa to officially open the Ash Grove development and to see the transformation of the area following the demolition of the low demand flats which previously occupied the site.
"It is extremely pleasing to see the creation of a new integrated development of low density, high quality houses, designed around the mature oak tree which connects the past to the future prosperity of the area."
Minister for Housing and Communities, Alex Neil MSP said: "I am pleased that the Scottish Government has invested £3.669m towards the overall development cost of £5.230m.
"The completion of these 40 social rented houses marks a significant milestone in the regeneration of Bowmar, replacing low rise flats with detached and semi-detached houses that meet a range of needs.
"Over the next few years further new homes for rent and low cost home ownership are planned. It also illustrates an excellent example of partnership working between Ochil View Housing Association, Clackmannanshire Council, and the Scottish Government."
On behalf of Clackmannanshire Council, Provost Derek Stewart, said: "The new housing at Ash Grove is an asset to Alloa. This development brings good quality housing that meets local needs and the new tenants will be fortunate people to live in such attractive homes and surroundings. This is a prime example of good partnership working which will undoubtedly breathe new life into the area."
Important elements of the development are the security measures designed into the development and Central Scotland Police to the opportunity at the official opening to present a Secured by Design award to the Association.
Presenting Teresa McNally with the award Chief Inspector Bob Hutchison said:"The regeneration of the South East of Alloa is an essential element in the future development of Alloa ensuring the new residents of Ash Grove can live in a safe and secure environment. Secured by Design (SBD), an official UK Police initiative, supports the principles of designing out crime and is proven to make this happen.
"A recent evaluation by Caledonian University highlighted a 59% reduction in attempted housebreaking and 61% reduction in house breaking in Glasgow Housing Association properties refurbished to the Secured by Design criteria. The report clearly highlights that people feel safer in houses where Secured by Design has been applied.
"Inherently linked to the government's planning objective of creating secure, quality locations where people wish to live and work, SBD focuses on crime prevention at the design, layout and construction stages. It is therefore a great pleasure to present Ochil View Housing Association with their SBD accreditation and thank them for their ongoing support of this initiative."
On behalf of Trust Housing Association, Chairperson David Blair said:"Trust are delighted to have partnered with Ochil View and Clackmannanshire Council on this project with all parties enjoying excellent collaborative working arrangements which ensured value for money as well as high quality and desirable homes people want to live in."
During his visit the Minister took time to visit tenants Gayle Robertson (the Association's 1300th tenant), Mr & Mrs Lambert and Thomas O'Neill who all expressed their delight at having been allocated properties within the development.
Ochil View have recently been awarded a further £2.492m of grant from the Scottish Government to part fund the construction of a further 46 properties in Coalsnaughton, Cambus, Sauchie and has plans for further developments throughout Clackmannanshire over the next 2 years including hopefully a second phase in the Bowmar area.
Notes to Editors
Background Information
Ash Grove, Alloa
- The site used to comprise 5 four storey blocks of flats (and associated garage units) owned by Clackmannanshire Council which were demolished in 2007
- Ash Grove is in the Bowmar Masterplan area of Alloa where a number of improvements are planned over the next 10 years at a cost of almost £20m (subject to resource availability and private sector interest)
Ochil View Housing Association:
- is a non-profit making charitable landlord.
- controlled by an unpaid Management Committee of tenants, residents, and other local people.
- manages 1110 rented properties in Clackmannanshire and 180 rented properties in West Fife.
- has 30 shared ownership properties principally in Clackmannanshire
- became the landlord of 584 houses in Tullibody, transferred from Scottish Homes after receiving the support of tenants in a ballot
- invests around £10m annually in the local economy through its building and maintenance activities
- has recently formed the Strath For Housing Alliance in conjunction with Forth and Rural Stirling housing associations as a new and innovative way of delivering value for money in a range of activities and services.
Trust Housing Association
- is a national housing association dealing principally with housing for older people and has 2500 properties throughout the country
- Trust acquired the site previously occupied by the garages during the mid 1990s
- An agreement for a joint development with Ochil View providing Trust with development services was agreed in June 2008