Council homes to be built on old St Matthew's Primary School ground

Jul 3 2009 by Colin Rutherford, Kilmarnock Standard

SCOTTISH government cash will be provided to allow East Ayrshire Council to build ten council houses on the site of the closed St Matthew’s Primary School.

The council will receive £250,000 towards the scheme for ten two-bedroom homes for walking disabled and older people.

The council itself will fund the other 75 per cent of the £1 million project.

The award was welcomed by Kilmarnock and Loudoun MSP Willie Coffey.

He said: “This is great news for Kilmarnock and shows how the SNP government is delivering what is needed in these difficult economic times.

“These ten new council homes will go some way to protect and create jobs in the construction sector as well as provide much needed social housing.

“Affordable good quality housing is essential and this Scottish government has what it takes to is deliver better housing across Scotland.”

It is anticipated that work will start on the site in MacDonald Drive in March next year, with completion in December.

The development will be carried out in partnership with Atrium Homes, because of the council’s lack of expertise in house design and building.

“They have a very experienced in-house development team,“ East Ayrshire head of housing Chris McAleavey told a recent meeting of the council’s cabinet.

The council’s bid for government cash followed the failure of an earlier, more ambitious application for funding for a total of 50 houses for older people.

It is hoped that the new houses will help ease pressure on the authority’s housing waiting list.

At present the council has 121 applicants on its books who have been assessed as having an identified need for supported accommodation.