By Lauren Crooks
More than 800 additional properties will be made available throughout West Dunbartonshire as part of a new affordable housing plan for the coming five years.
The Strategic Housing Investment Plan 2024-2029 (SHIP) details the projects, both Council and housing association, likely to receive Scottish Government grant funding.
Despite economic uncertainty and high inflation, the SHIP will deliver an ambitious programme of new build homes across West Dunbartonshire.
The ambitious plan sets out the aim of developing 500 new affordable homes, and buying back 300 properties.
Priority will continue to be given to regeneration areas and all projects will be required to provide at least 10% specialist or fully wheelchair accessible housing.
Councillor Gurpreet Singh Johal, Convener of Housing and Communities, and Cllr Hazel Sorrell with her husband Allan.
Both the new build and the buyback programmes will prioritise house types which contribute to identified need including the supply of larger family homes and preventing homelessness.
Councillor Gurpreet Singh Johal, Convener of Housing and Communities, said: “This is an ambitious plan and one which will make a huge difference to West Dunbartonshire. All homes in the programme will meet the Council’s innovative Housing Design Standard and the highest levels of energy efficiency will also be encouraged, with an air quality sensor in each home.”
Willox Park in Barloan which has been demolished and is earmarked for new housing.
The Council is the biggest developer in the programme with around 250 of the new homes being built across locations including Pappert, Mount Pleasant and Willox Park.
Councillor Hazel Sorrell, Vice Convener of Housing and Communities, added: “I’m pleased that this plan is taking into consideration the types and styles of home that are most needed in our community, and working alongside partners to ensure that these can be delivered.
“We have a number of new developments already on site or due to be on site early next year and I look forward to seeing our tenants in them.”
Council among highest in UK for provision of social housing
Meanwhile, West Dunbartonshire Council claims it has has exceeded targets for the delivery of new affordable housing in the area.
The Local Housing Strategy 2022-27, which was created to assess housing needs and conditions in order to address any identified issues, outlined ambitions to deliver 230 homes of all tenures, with a minimum of 80 being for social rent.
In the first year since the strategy was introduced, 2021/22, the Council delivered 383 homes, of which 340 were for social rent.
The total number of homes delivered is more than 150 over target, with more than four times the amount of social housing provided in communities.
The figures, which were shared at a meeting of the Housing and Communities committee, rank West Dunbartonshire in the top ten of all UK local authorities for most social housing delivered.
Councillor Gurpreet Singh Johal said: “It is really pleasing to see this progress in delivering additional homes for this area.
“While I appreciate that outcomes vary year on year, this is a positive step in the right direction and reaffirms our commitment to our aim of delivering 2500 new affordable and social rented homes over the next 10 years.”
Councillor Hazel Sorrell added: “To be sixth of all local authorities in the UK in terms of our provision of social housing for 2021/22 is something to be celebrated.
“Our focus will continue to be on addressing housing need and demand in our area by provision of good quality housing in the type most needed by our communities.”