Former day centre is turned into new housing

An abandoned northeast day care centre is ready for a new lease of life as family homes following a £430,000 renovation.

Anderson House, a former day care centre and hostel in Banff, has been transformed into three family homes with gardens, after having lain empty for four years.

The contract to turn the 950sq m building, in Ardanes Brae, into homes was awarded to Arbroath-based Scorgie Construction by Aberdeenshire Council last spring.

It has been completed just ahead of deadline, despite the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdowns, by Scorgie Construction owners Niki and Derek Scorgie.

The two, three and four-bedroom homes have new bathrooms, kitchens, windows, doors, walls, insulation and drainage.

All the existing wood, paving slabs and windows from the original building were donated to members of the community for reuse.

Anderson House was latterly used as office accommodation by a local charity and became vacant in 2017.

The project to redevelop the building was approved by the Banff and Buchan Area Committee in April 2019.

Aberdeenshire Council will now offer the homes up for rent through its new build affordable housing programme.

The council’s head of housing and building standards, Rob Simpson, said: “We are pleased to see this former office building brought back into use as new affordable housing for social rent.

“The properties are a welcome addition to our stock of rental accommodation and form part of our new-build housing programme.”