Council officers are building community spirit as well as houses at a new development in East Kilbride.

The 16-home South Lanarkshire Council development at Rattray Drive, East Kilbride, was completed last summer and comprises a mix of four semi-detached houses and 12 cottage flats.

With generous space standards and high-quality kitchens and bathrooms, the new homes incorporate renewable technologies such as solar panels, ensuring energy efficient homes which are cheaper to run, benefitting both the environment and household budgets.

Area housing manager Donald Gray said: “The new homes at Rattray Drive are, in keeping with new council housing being built across South Lanarkshire, of a high standard both in terms of quality and design.

“However, just as important as the attributes of the homes themselves is the life that the tenants will lead within them, and in a new development like this, creating a community spirit from the start is a great benefit.”

To help this work in building a new community, a welcome meeting for the residents at Rattray Drive was held at Blackbraes Hall, Calderwood, in December.

Hosted by Donald Gray, the meeting provided an opportunity for the new residents to get together as a new community as well as providing a range of information and advice on their new homes.

In addition, station manager Eddie Kelly from Scottish Fire and Rescue Service raised awareness on safety measures and fire prevention in the home and constable Emma Scott, from Police Scotland, ensured that residents were familiar with home security measures and crime prevention.

Housing staff from South Lanarkshire Council also encouraged tenant participation and empowered residents to be part of the overall continuous development and management of their new community, and were delighted to receive feedback from residents that they were very happy with both the welcome meeting and the quality of their new homes.