A group of volunteers working with North Lanarkshire Council’s housing services to improve access for people with disabilities enjoyed a recent visit to its latest new build development in Glencairn, Motherwell.

Made up of local people with disabilities, the co-production group meet with the local authority on a regular basis to co-produce housing strategy to ensure the housing needs of disabled people are being met.

One of the group’s long standing priorities and focus is the accessibility and suitability of new build housing; both social rented and private sector. And their visit to the new homes at the former Glencairn Tower site gave them the opportunity to see for themselves how their ideas are being rolled out.

This new development includes a wheelchair bungalow and an innovative two-storey house designed to meet the needs of a family with someone who has a disability.

Gerry Murphy, a member of the co-production group, said: “It’s exciting to see how accessibility is being considered across the range of house types, and that it’s not just wheelchair bungalows and amenity housing.

“I’m also really pleased to see some of the eco measures the council is using. The addition of solar panels is excellent, as older people and people with disabilities can often have higher fuel bills as they can spend more time at home. The measures are great and will help reduce bills. We are also really pleased with the space standards and the design such as storage space for wheelchairs next to the front door and separate toilet facilities for carers in addition to the main bathroom.

“It’s great to see how our ideas are developed and know the positive difference these will make to local families.”

Councillor Barry McCulloch, convener of housing and social work services, said: “The development of our partnership with the co-production group is improving the day-to-day lives of local residents and it was great to give the group a preview of our Glencairn development.

“Our partnership continues to go from strength to strength and the knowledge and advice provided by the group is invaluable to the future of housing development in North Lanarkshire. We must ensure we’re building homes that are adaptable to meet different people’s needs over their lifetime, and our work with the co-production group is helping to achieve this.”

Twenty five new council houses are now built on the former Glencairn tower site.