The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Lewis set to get 50 new homes
Housing: Project on outskirts of Stornoway will be last part of 113-dwellings development
Work is about to start on building the final phase of 50 homes as part of a large housing development in Lewis.
The completion of the newhousing will result in a total of 113 homes at Melbost Farm on the outskirts of Stornoway.
The project has been led by Western Isles Council and the He bride an HousingPartnership( H HP) over
“The housing is about attracting people to come and live in isles”
the past five years. Final design details on the £4million fourth and final phase were recently agreed during a board meeting of the HHP in Stornoway.
A contractor, Calmax Construction Ltd, has now been appointed for the work.
The housing development is amixture of shared equity and social housing, ranging in size from one to four bedroom properties.
Yesterday HHP chief executive Dena Macleod said: “The housing is about attracting people to come and live in the islands, so we are working as part of a community partnership to do that.”
Work on the first 15 homes in the development was completed in spring 2013 and the second phase of 10 homes was finished at the same time last year.
Work is still ongoing on the third phase of 38 properties.
About 30 of these existing homes are classed as shared equity, a government scheme allowing first time buyers to get on the housingmarket. The cave at is that they must repay a percentage of the loan should they choose to sell within a certain time period.
Atotal of 18 homes in the final phase will be available for purchase under the government’s shared equity scheme.
Last year, one Highland housing association committed to delivering 750 affordable new homes across the region by 2021 – with potential for even more.
Albyn Housing Society last year initially set a target to build 500 newhomes over five years but has since upped its ambitions.
The new socially rented homes arel likely to be built in Inverness, Nairn, Dingwall, Alness, Drumnadrochit and Inverdruie near Aviemore. The association also wants to build 250 mid-market rent and lowcost homes.