The Rotary Court development was built by local firm Hart Builders under a contract to purchase the completed houses worth. Members of Dunbar’s Rotary Club were also invited to attend the opening event as the development has been named after the club in recognition of the good work they’ve done locally over many years.

The flats, which were completed in late June, have been added to the council’s rented housing stock and let to people from the council’s housing waiting list. Over the past year, East Lothian Council has added 80 newly built homes to its council housing stock across the county.

Rotary Court is situated at the east end of Kellie Road within a residential area, close to the roundabout at Spott Road. The site had been lying vacant and had not previously been developed. Planning permission was granted for the 0.4 hectares site in December 2012 and construction work began in July 2014.

All of the flats at Rotary Court have two bedrooms and are in blocks of four. The homes have beenwill be built to meet the appropriate Housing for Varying Needs standards, to ensure good accessibility but in addition four of the ground-floor flats are provided with wet-floor showers to make them more accessible to people who are less mobile. They also benefit from very energy efficient heating systems and high levels of insulation.

Each of the properties has received £46,000 (a total of £736,000) in Council House Building Grant from the Scottish Government.

Councillor Norman Hampshire said: “Rotary Court is one of several social housing developments completing in the county this year. Rotary Court is beautifully laid out, with high quality homes really close to all the local amenities. It’s a great addition to Dunbar and I know that the tenants here are very happy in their new homes. It has also been good for the local economy that a local East Lothian company Hart Builders have delivered this project.”

Housing minister Margaret Burgess said: “The Scottish Government has contributed £0.736m to assist in the construction of this new East Lothian Council development in Dunbar.

“These 16 social rented properties have been constructed to a high standard with good access to the town centre. I am sure these homes will provide a warm and welcoming home for the council tenants who move in to them.

“The Scottish Government recognises the importance in providing affordable housing, and is well on the way to meeting its commitment to provide 30,000 affordable houses within the lifetime of this parliament.

“The supply of social housing continues to be a high priority, and we are working across the housing sector to maximise the supply of affordable homes, and support the construction industry throughout Scotland. I congratulate East Lothian Council on the construction of these homes which are a welcome addition to the supply of housing in Dunbar.”

David Small, Hart Builders managing director, added: “Hart Builders are delighted to have completed our latest development for East Lothian Council. Developed through our on-going partnership with the council, Hart Builders have delivered the new homes through a turnkey arrangement, providing 16 highly energy efficient new homes. Rotary Court is an excellent example of Harts approach to small brownfield sites where we can develop a relatively small area of land and provide a highly efficient and attractive development ideally located close to local amenities which significantly enhances tenants’ day to day enjoyment of their new property.”

@ELCouncil