This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Affordable housing goes ahead in Dunbartonshire
12/05/2006
The largest brownfield site ever acquired by a single housing association in Scotland is to include more than 100 affordable homes in a £45 million mixed development.
The land at Dalquhurn in Renton, West Dunbartonshire, has been bought by Cordale Housing Association, with support from Communities Scotland, the Executive's housing and regeneration agency.
The 30-acre site is the largest piece of land ever to be bought in Scotland by a single registered social landlord and the second major brownfield acquisition for affordable housing in a month following the Bridge of Don paper mill site in Aberdeen.
Plans are in place to transform the site, currently some of the most contaminated land in Scotland, into a £45 million housing development. Over the next five years Cordale Housing Association expect to create around 100 jobs.
Communities Minister Malcolm Chisholm said:
"I am delighted with this bold initiative by Cordale. Up and down the country, we are seeing more and more examples of housing associations identifying sites and, with the support of Communities Scotland, securing them for much needed local housing.
"In this case, there are significant challenges - not least the sheer scale and difficulties with the site. But there are all also huge benefits in transforming a vast disused brownfield site into a thriving community.
"It demonstrates a huge commitment to all aspects of our new regeneration policy - building mixed and vibrant communities, bringing derelict land back into use and providing jobs as well as social housing."
Stephen Gibson, director of Cordale Housing Association, said:
"This is a very exciting opportunity for Cordale, the local community and the West Dunbartonshire economy.
"It will create around 100 jobs, resolve a large proportion of the unmet need in the social rented housing in Renton, provide opportunities for people to enter into owner-occupation through Homestake whilst bringing people with higher disposable incomes into the area.
"Though very challenging we are confident that through its proximity to the River Leven, Loch Lomond and transport links to the M8, we can transform the area into one of the most desirable locations in West Dunbartonshire and produce huge financial, social and economic benefits for the whole area."
The land, which borders the River Leven, was once the site of silk dye factories and has been under multiple private ownership for decades.
While most of the private housing is likely to be built by Turnberry Homes, Cordale is planning to set up a commercial subsidiary to carry out some of this development which will result in all their profits being re-invested in the local community.
Elaine Mooney, director of Turnberry Homes who will be working with Cordale on the Dalquhurn development, said:
"I am amazed at the speed that Cordale Housing Association have managed to secure such a complicated land purchase which involved seven different sellers. It is not unusual for the private sector to take four years to complete a sale like this, so for a small housing association to do it in 18 months is a real credit to their staff."
Cordale has already secured outline planning permission for 280 properties on the Dalquhurn site with the £45 million investment being shared by Communities Scotland, the housing association and the private sector. This will include 112 homes will be for rent or low-cost ownership.
The process to clean up the site and put in a new infrastructure is due to start in October and is expected to take a year. Construction work on the building programme is expected to begin October 2007.
Once the project is completed Cordale will have ownership of 800 properties in Renton. It is one of Scotland's smaller housing associations employing 10 full-time staff. As well as developing a large portfolio of social housing in Renton it has also set up a commercial subsidiary to build a supermarket and chemist in the village and invested heavily in the area's social structure by supporting a range of projects from youth groups to a community newspaper and local history group.
Cordale Housing Association recently completed the construction of Scotland's first community-owned integrated healthy living centre with funding from Communities Scotland's Wider Role fund. The move has brought GP services back to Renton for the first time in over 30 years.