A former prison site in Aberdeen has been transformed into 124 highly desirable homes for affordable rent.

Sanctuary Homes’ £19 million development in Torry where HMP Craiginches once stood has made a previously walled off area warm and welcoming.

Pupil support assistant Jacqueline Rezin moved into a two-bedroom flat with her daughter Rebecca, 21.

Jacqueline, 48, said: “We love it and are so happy here. My brother was deputy governor when the prison closed but I doubt our home could be any more different from what he experienced at work.

“Our flat’s really spacious, very bright and airy and the security system makes us feel very safe. We can see it’s been well put together and that the quality is very high.”

Sanctuary’s development has 106 flats and 18 houses, a mix of one, two and three bedroom properties. The mid-market rent homes are managed by Sanctuary Scotland and are available to key workers who might otherwise struggle to secure affordable accommodation. The project was championed by Maureen Watt MSP and made possible thanks to an £8m Scottish Government grant.

Mrs Watt, the MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, said: “When I first proposed key worker housing to the Scottish Government on the Craiginches site in early 2014, I could not have imagined anything better than the incredible results delivered by Sanctuary.”

Minister for Local Government and Housing, Kevin Stewart MSP, cut the sod for construction work to begin on the site in September 2016.

Mr Stewart said: “I was delighted to be able to meet with Jacqueline and officially open this innovative new mid-market rent housing development and communal garden.

“It is fantastic to see how this development has boosted strong community living in Torry as well as providing quality homes for essential key workers in the city.”

The majority of Sanctuary’s 124 homes are now let but some two-bedroom flats are still available.

Gillian Lavety, Sanctuary’s development director for Scotland, said: “We were delighted to work with the Scottish Government and Aberdeen City Council to help address a shortage of affordable housing for key workers in Aberdeen.

“Our new homes are bright, spacious and a great addition to the city’s housing stock.

“The play park and communal garden are a sea change from how stark HMP Craiginches was. Happy residents have replaced prisoners at a site now open to all.”

Sanctuary’s investment in Aberdeen’s affordable housing stock will continue with 122 homes in North Anderson Drive. Construction work on these properties is expected to begin in late 2019.

Sanctuary’s building contractor at the former HMP Craiginches site was local firm Robertson Eastern.

Andy Day, the firm’s managing director, said: “We are really proud of our partnership with Sanctuary on the Craiginches housing project.

“At Robertson we do not simply judge our success on the quality of the buildings we produce, but on the lasting value and improvements we bring to the communities we serve. This development of key worker and mid-market rental houses and flats will ensure that more people in Aberdeen can afford to live close to their place of work, reducing commuting times and improving quality of life for many.”