The Livingston-based company has successfully delivered 28 high quality homes and 16 flats at Stonefield, and a further 16 flats at Deanfield, with a collective value of £6 million.

The project will allow many young local families to access sustainable housing for the first time as well as helping to meet housing demand in the Borders where there is an urgent need for new developments.

Scottish Borders Council recently unveiled its strategic housing investment plan that is expected to lead to almost 1,200 affordable homes being built across the region before 2021.

Esh was appointed by SBHA through a competitive tendering process and delivered the two sites concurrently in order to realise best value.

All properties enjoy a high specification timber frame construction, meeting the sustainable demands of the Silver Active standard, including optimised energy performance.

They have also been constructed in line with Housing for Varying Needs procedures which means that the properties are specifically designed to suit the occupants’ changing needs over their lifetime.

Furthermore, construction materials have been carefully selected on the basis that they will allow the developments to integrate sympathetically into their environments.

In delivering the project, Esh overcame many challenges across both sites. The company introduced extensive drainage diversions, services extensions and capacity increases, as well as ground remediation works in order to remove traces of previous industrial usage.

The project proved to be a successful collaborative effort which saw Esh’s own team supplemented by Borders-based contractors, in turn boosting local employment.

Regional managing director of Esh Border Construction, Simon Phillips, said: “We are very proud of these 60 new homes that we have delivered at Stonefield and Deanfield, representing affordable, quality housing in an area that is crying out for homes of this type.

“Housing provision remains a significant challenge across the Borders, but we are certain that these new homes and many more like them in future will go some way towards addressing demand, while providing comfortable, secure and energy efficient places to live for successive generations.

“In utilising locally-sourced materials, the developments at Stonefield and Deanfield are also sympathetic to their surroundings, serving to reflect and enhance the existing environment.

“Furthermore, both projects have helped to stimulate the economy through the creation of local jobs, in turn helping to build sustainable communities.

“We look forward to seeing new residents settling in properly and calling them home for many years to come.”

Esh Border Construction recently bought a plot of land in Duns in neighbouring Berwickshire with a view to a future social housing project, and it retains a focus on realising more land-led developments, particularly in the Borders and Central Belt areas.