Council cash for new Blair homes Association gets £471,000 to develop housing plan
Hillcrest Housing Association has secured close to half a million pounds in developers’ contributions to construct 71 new affordable homes in Blairgowrie.
Councillors agreed to hand the housing association “commuted sums” worth £471,500 to develop the new dwellings at Blackthorn Place at a meeting of the council’s enterprise and infrastructure committee last week.
Hillcrest secured the sum after requesting the cash be taken from the council’s affordable housing developers contributions fund for the Strathmore and the Glens Housing Market Area (HMA).
The committee had to be asked to approve the grant as the council’s executive environment director, Jim Valentine, currently only has the power to approve grants up to a maximum of £200,000.
Justifying the extra funding going to Hillcrest Peter Marshall, the council’s strategy and policy manager, wrote in a report presented to the committee: “Blairgowrie has a high affordable housing need.
“Details from Housing and Community Safety evidence is that there is significant demand for social rented units within the region of 216 applicants (with Blairgowrie as their first area of choice) on the waiting list and only 15 available lets in the past year.
“This pressure ratio of 13.5 confirms the need for affordable housing, and specifically social rented units, to meet some of the housing need in Blairgowrie.”
Committee member Councillor Dave Doogan, who is also the convener of the council’s housing and health committee, acknowledged the grant virtually “cleans out” the developers contributions fund for the Strathmore and the Glens HMA, which had been sitting at around £499,878.
But he pointed out: “That’s exactly what these funds are for. There will be many people on the [housing] waiting list who will benefit from this.”
According to the report the funds will be transferred to Hillcrest in March so the development – near the town’s community campus – can start sometime later this year.
David Zwirlein, director of development and new business for the Hillcrest Housing Association, was pleased with the decision.
After the meeting, he said: “We’re delighted to be working with Perth and Kinross Council and Stewart Milne Homes to deliver much-needed affordable housing in Blairgowrie.
“Demand for affordable housing in the area is high with the number of applicants each year heavily outweighing the available lets.
“In partnership, we will deliver 71 homes at Blackthorn Place which will all be built to a high standard with a number of energy efficiency features.
“These homes will be let by ourselves and Perth and Kinross Council in accordance to our housing allocation policies.
“Blackthorn Place is Hillcrest’s first development of this size in Blairgowrie and we’re looking forward to delivering high-quality affordable homes to meet the housing demand.”
Cllr Caroline Shiers Blairgowrie and Glens councillor Caroline Shiers gave a cautious welcome to the news.
The Conservative elected member said: “In principle it is great news that, finally, some of the long-overdue affordable housing is being brought forward for development.
“However, as always with any
Cllr Dave Doogan application, the detail of the design of the properties, access, parking and other arrangements will be important.
“I am very concerned about 71 properties being built that close to Blairgowrie Community Campus without improvements to the infrastructure as there are already well-documented issues there.”