South Ayrshire Council News

Graham Peterkin, South Ayrshire Council; Alex Neil MSP, Minister for Housing and Communities; and Cllr Campbell at Ayr housing policy discussion.

South Ayrshire Council's first Council house building programme in more than 30 years received a significant boost yesterday (Monday) with the confirmation that a further £780,000 funding will be provided by the Scottish Government.

Housing and Communities Minister, Alex Neil MSP, made the announcement while speaking in Ayr at the first of a series of summer discussions looking at the future of housing policy in Scotland.

The funding will be invested in the construction of 26 new Council houses in the South Ayrshire area, which (combined with monies awarded at the end of last year) brings the total number of new Council houses to be built to 68.

Work will get underway later this year on the first 42 houses at Thornyflat in Ayr.

Councillor Douglas Campbell, South Ayrshire Council's Portfolio Holder for Housing and Customer First, said: "Homes for rent are a key priority for South Ayrshire Council.

"After more than 30 years, we are delighted to receive extra funding that will add another 26 homes to our current programme. Work is already underway on the designs for our first 42 new houses in Thornyflat and we can now get to work on progressing this next tranche of housing.

"This will go some way to addressing the shortage of affordable homes for rent in this part of the world, but we know there is much more to be done and we will continue to work with our partners such as the Scottish Government to tackle this issue.

"We are a forward looking and ambitious authority and will explore every opportunity to develop and build affordable social housing. This funding announcement confirms that we are well on our way to achieving this and making a real difference for our residents."