Doors now open to 71 new homes
£8m Blairgowrie development
An £8 million housing development in Blairgowrie was officially opened by the housing minister this week.
The newly-built Blackthorn Place, a joint project between Hillcrest Homes and Perth and Kinross Council, encompasses 71 new, affordable rural homes.
Kevin Stewart MSP, the minister for local government, housing and planning, was given a tour of the site on Monday, October 21 before declaring the development open.
The minister was welcomed by Councillor Bob Brawn, Perth and Kinross Council’s housing and communities convener, along with Hillcrest’s chairperson Alan Russell, chief executive Angela Linton and director of development David Zwirlein.
Mr Stewart also met with some of the new tenants who discussed the benefits the new housing has made to them.
Constructed by Stewart Milne Homes, 46 of the new homes are available for affordable social rent and another 25 have been allocated for mid-market rent, aimed at people on modest incomes who may not be in a position to buy their own home.
Cllr Brawn said: “Providing much-needed affordable housing for a variety of different kinds of tenants in rural communities like Blairgowrie is very important.
“All these new homes will provide additional high-quality accommodation in the town and enhance the lives of the people who live in them. “Providing good quality housing here will also make people want to remain living in Blairgowrie which is good for the town’s economy and community.
“Our multi-million pound building programme, combined with our work supporting new builds through our housing association partners, has seen over 500 additional homes delivered right across Perth and Kinross since 2012.
“This includes over 200 new council homes.
“Most of these new properties have been built in areas where there is an acute shortage of affordable housing for local people.”
Housing minister Kevin Stewart added: “It was a fantastic to see first-hand the difference these new energy-efficient homes are making to tenants’ lives.
“Not only will they provide safe, warm, affordable places to live, but these quality homes will contribute to a thriving local community.
“This development is testament to our effective partnership working with local authorities, housing associations and developers, keeping us on track to achieve our ambitious target of 50,000 affordable homes by 2021.”
Blackthorn Place was built using a subsidy of £1,942,550 from Perth and Kinross Council’s allocation from the Scottish Government’s affordable housing investment programme.
Solar panels, gas central heating, smart meters and high performance insulation are included in the houses’ construction.