Top award for Portree houses
LOCHALSH and Skye Housing Association has received national recognition for its crime prevention work in its development at Pat Gordon Place, Portree.
The award was presented by Secured by Design (SBD), the national police crime prevention initiative, after an SBD trained officer worked with architects Reynolds Architecture and developers O’Brien Properties from the planning stages to construction. Crime prevention measures in the development include natural surveillance from the properties over parking areas and access routes, and doors, windows and locks which meet police specification standards. These measures combine to make the properties less attractive to opportunist criminals and reduce the risk of anti-social behaviour. Lynda Allan, Police Scotland’s inspector on Skye, who presented the SBD award, said: ‘I am delighted to be presenting this award.
‘These measures have benefits for the wider community because the police will be far less likely to have to investigate property crime in these dwellings, which reduces the demand on police and associated services.’
Lachie MacDonald, chief executive of Lochalsh and Skye Housing Association, which received the award, added: ‘We are delighted to receive this prestigious award which gives us confidence in the security of our new properties in Portree. The design of the development is contemporary while retaining local character. It fits nicely into the surrounding area.’