A £4.575 million development to create 34 homes on the site of a former primary school in Irvine was officially opened this week.

The opening ceremony of Cheviot Gardens at Fencedyke Primary School in Bourtreehill means North Ayrshire Council has taken another step towards fulfilling its commitment to build 750 new social houses by 2021.

Provost Ian Clarkson was joined by council leader Joe Cullinane, cabinet member for Place Jim Montgomerie, MSP Ruth Maguire, MP Philippa Whitford and other dignitaries for the official opening.

Councillor Montgomerie said: “This exciting development is a real asset to the residents of Cheviot Gardens and the wider North Ayrshire community.

“We are delighted to be progressing our very ambitious house building programme which will help us address our housing needs and continue to provide us with the opportunity to change lives for the better.

“We are on track to meet our ambitious target of building 750 new properties by 2021 ensuring that our communities benefit from high quality, accessible and affordable homes.”

Cheviot Gardens comprises 34 high quality affordable homes for the residents of North Ayrshire.

This includes 23 general needs homes, nine amenity homes that promote independent living for the older population and two wheelchair accessible homes catering for families with specific needs.

With a mixture of one, two and three-bedroom properties as well as one five-bedroom property, this development has been built to cater for the needs of the local population.

One house was built specifically for a family who required a bespoke property due to their care needs. The family were involved from the early design stages to ensure the particular needs of each family member were met within their new bungalow.

The project also meets its environmental commitments by incorporating a number of sustainable technologies such as solar PV panels and water butts. These features ensured that the Scottish Government’s ‘Greener Standard’ was met and it is hoped that the development will also achieve an Eco Homes ‘Very Good’ rating for sustainability.

The project was delivered with a budget of £4.575m, including the support of over £2m from the Scottish Government’s Affordable Housing Supply Programme.

Cruden Building & Renewals, the contractor for this development, entered into a Community Benefits agreement which saw three local apprentices employed in various roles during the development, from joinery to brick laying and plumbing.