Lochside residents move in to new homes

Oct 9 2009 by Edwin Lawrence

IT WAS celebration time at a community open day to mark the latest phase of Ayr’s Lochside Regeneration Project.

Ayrshire Housing hosted the day tocoincide with the completion of a further 33 houses in a £13m redevelopment of three Lochside streets.

It follows the completion of the first phase of eight houses in March. And when completed in February, 100 new houses for rent and shared equity sale will have been provided.

The scheme is designed by ARPL architects of Ayr, and builders are Prestwick-based Ashleigh (Scotland) Ltd. The project is part-funded by the Scottish Government.

Alongside the building works, Ayrshire Housing and South Ayrshire Council are sponsoring a series of community initiatives through Lochside People and Place.

This project has been developed in partnership with the social enterprise group Aspire2gether and also receives Scottish Government funding.

Throughout the day, a steady stream of visitors were able to see how the development is taking shape.

Returning tenants and residents from the wider neighbourhood chatted with the landscape architect who is working through People and Place on community led proposals for three open spaces – two in the new development and one adjacent to the nearby community centre.

Complementing Ayrshire Housing’s investment, South Ayrshire Council is employing the same consultant and contractor team on a major programme of work to refurbish its own stock.

Ayrshire Housing chairman Paul Torrance said: “It’s great to see the pleasure andŠhope that this project is bringing to so many people. This makes it all the more tragic that Ayrshire Housing, like other housing associations, is facing deep cuts in government funding.

“We are already being forced to bridge the gap in the timing of government grants to keep projects like Lochside on track.

“We can do this up to a point. But it requires dialogue with civil servants to ensure that it doesn’t threaten rent levels or compromise long-term building capacity.”