The £4.8 million development at Montgomery Court, Kilbirnie, has been designed to specifically meet the needs of the older population in the region.

Featuring 16 one-bedroom homes within a new sheltered housing complex and an additional 8 two-bedroom amenity bungalows, the development illustrates North Ayrshire Council’s commitment to provide high quality, affordable accommodation that meets current and future requirements.

Provost Ian Clarkson officially opened the sheltered housing complex in a special celebration on Friday in front of invited guests and some of the new residents.

Depute leader of North Ayrshire Council, John Bell, said: “We are committed to providing homes that are suitable for the long-term needs of local residents. These homes are all fully accessible and easily adaptable to cater for the varying needs of the older population.

“This is an exciting new housing development that will be a real asset to the residents of North Ayrshire, particularly our older population who will benefit from a bespoke design which will make a huge difference to their health and wellbeing.

“We are delighted to be progressing our extensive new build programme and hope that this continues to provide us with the opportunity to change lives for the better.

“With the addition of these new homes, our council house building programme has delivered a total of 268 affordable homes for residents of North Ayrshire since 2011.

“And projects like this help will contribute towards our ambitious aim of providing 750 new or refurbished homes by 2021.”

The entire development has been designed using dementia-friendly design principles, such as clear signage and contrasting colours. This ensures that the home environment is tailored to actively support independent living for those suffering with dementia.

Independent living is further supported throughout the development with level access, wet floor shower rooms, pull down and pull-out kitchen units, accessible sockets and switches and the provision for future ceiling hoists to be installed.

The sheltered housing complex also includes a community hub, developed in partnership with North Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership. It is anticipated that this hub facility will offer a range of clubs, classes and activities not only for residents but for the wider older population.

This £4.8m project was supported by a grant of over £1m from the Scottish Government and was completed in phases, with the first phase completed at the beginning of last year. This allowed residents of the former Montgomery Court sheltered housing complex to move into their new homes in early 2016. The conclusion of the second phase marks the completion of this innovative housing development.