New social housing

Dozens of tenants are now making themselves at home in a new housing development bought by Dundee City Council from a private developer.

Residents in Kirkton Road and Downfield Place have been moving in over recent weeks since finishing touches were completed to their homes earlier this year. More than 20 new homes, built by H&H Properties on the site of the former St Columba’s Primary School, were purchased by the council in a deal late last year. Among those who have recently been handed their keys is 44 year-old Vicky Reid and her three children.

Speaking from her two-storey three-bedroom semi-detached home she said: “I am loving it! The house is just fab.”

Vicky, who also has two other grown-up children who live nearby, was told to quit her private rented house more than a year ago and has spent the past 12 months wondering how she was going to keep a roof over her family’s heads.

The Kirkton native added: “We spoke to the homeless prevention team at the council who were really good and helped us fill in all the relevant forms and guided us through the whole way.

“We kept driving past these houses when they were getting built and looking at them and thinking how great it would be to have one of these, but we were all prepared to have to go into temporary accommodation, when we got offered this!
“It was bit like magic and we couldn’t believe it."

The family are now settling into their new home after a process, which although stressful and difficult at times, Vicky says has been “amazing”.

Mark Flynn, convener of Dundee City Council’s neighbourhood regeneration, housing and estate management committee said: “The demand for good-quality rented accommodation in the city remains high, so it is vital that we do everything in our power to take action to address it.

“This type of agreement, which we are already replicating elsewhere in the city, is an innovative way of continuing to face the demand and a clear demonstration that we are working towards meeting our commitment to making more affordable new-build housing available for rent in Dundee.”

Lynne Short, the committee’s deputy convener added: “When you see Vicky and her family in this house, and experience for yourself the hugely positive effect that having a secure tenancy in a warm, easy to heat house has on people’s lives, it brings home how we are meeting the needs of our communities and delivering better outcomes for everyone.”

The 21 houses in Kirkton, a mixture of two-storey, three-bedroom, detached and two-storey, three-bedroom, semi-detached homes are being allocated to their new tenants in phases.

Dundee City Council received Scottish Government grant of £1.824 million from the Affordable Housing Supply Programme to support the purchase.