Angus Council welcomes SURF recognition for housing regeneration

These are the same national awards that the council won two years ago in recognition of its highly praised housing project at Academy Court in Forfar.

Now in 2020, Angus Council is on the SURF (Scotland’s Regeneration Forum) awards shortlist for its project to build 12 new council houses for rent in Newtyle, in Dunarn Street next to the school, on a site that was surplus to council requirements.

The awards judging panel held a virtual meeting with council officers, to get a full appreciation of how Angus Council’s Housing and Assets Services worked closely with other council teams and the community to deliver an excellent project – one that will make a significant contribution to ensuring that people can access affordable housing in a rural setting and in so doing, support the long-term sustainability of the village.

Angus Provost Ronnie Proctor said: “As an elected member for Kirriemuir and Dean since 2012 and having been involved with this project since its inception, it gives me great pleasure to see the housing completed and these homes occupied.

“This development is of huge benefit to Newtyle, which has suffered from a shortage of social housing. I took enormous satisfaction from a communication I received from a young Newtyle family who have taken up a tenancy of a modern up-to-date affordable house in the village where they were brought up.”

Most of the houses will accommodate families with children and include four homes that are designed for particular needs. The air-tight, energy efficient homes take full advantage of solar power, helping to minimize fuel costs for tenants. In addition, fibre broadband was installed directly to the premises, to ensure good quality internet – an essential for home working and studying in the 21st Century.

Pupils from the local primary school have been actively involved from the outset, using the development as a project for real life learning. Biodiversity has proved to be an aspect of particular interest, especially the use of bird boxes and hedgehog friendly design.

Councillor Craig Fotherinham, Angus Council housing spokesperson, added: “Our council really does take pride in giving equal weight to the needs of our smaller communities, and that’s why we were pleased to invest in Newtyle, to help it remain sustainable, because we want the whole of Angus to be a great place to live, work and visit.”

Award winners will be announced later this year.

The Newtyle project is one of three new council housing projects currently coming on stream. The other two have seen tenants move into 40 new homes at the Abbey Quarter in Arbroath and construction of 10 new homes at Brechin’s Damacre Road nearing completion.