Clare Haughey MSP joined a group of local young people last week on a visit to a new development of affordable homes under construction in Blantyre.

The development on Victoria Street, which is being constructed by Lovell on behalf of Clyde Valley Housing Association, welcomed the visitors as part of Open Doors Week. Delivered by Build UK in partnership with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), the nationwide event offers the chance to look behind the scenes of construction projects in local communities.

During the visit, Ms Haughey, MSP for Rutherglen, and a group of young people aged 16 – 18, supported by Skills Development Scotland, met representatives from Clyde Valley Housing Association and received a tour of the development led by Lovell. This visit offered them the opportunity to explore the construction work on the development of 38 affordable houses and flats.

The new timber-framed development at Victoria Street, which is scheduled for completion in May 2018, will provide smart, modern homes built to high energy-efficiency standards, helping minimise residents’ energy bills. Some of the properties will meet the Scottish Building Standards Silver level (Aspects 1 and 2) thanks to their low-energy heating systems and reduced carbon emissions.

Since work commenced in March 2017, the site has delivered various community benefits including a competition with Auchinraith Primary School which tasked children to create model buildings using recycled materials, donations to local foodbanks and a local labour clause giving local people priority for employment and training on the site.

Stephen Profili, managing director of Lovell in Scotland, said: “It is important for us that our development at Victoria Street engages with and benefits residents in the local area. Open Doors Week is the perfect opportunity for us to continue to build ties with the community and invite a group of local young people, along with Ms Haughey, for a tour of this exciting development. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting them all today and hope the visit has given them insight into what goes on behind the scenes on the construction site of a development like this.”

Lynn Wassell, chief executive at Clyde Valley Housing Association, said: “We were proud to welcome Ms Haughey and a group of local young people to the development at Victoria Street today as part of Open Doors Week. The visit gave them the chance to discover the construction process behind building a development of modern, affordable homes which meet high energy-efficiency standards and offered a preview of what the finished development will be like.”