£11 million to renovate South Ayrshire Council houses

Feb 12 2010 Ayrshire Post (main ed)

A MASSIVE £11 million will be spent upgrading council houses across South Ayrshire.

More than 800 homes will benefit from the project, which will take four years to complete.

The council’s housing spokesman, Councillor Douglas Campbell, revealed that kitchens, bathrooms and central heating systems are included in the overhaul.

And he insists that it’s good news for tenants.

He said: “The capital housing programme brings further welcome news for council tenants.

“South Ayrshire Council has already frozen council rents until 2011 and we have recently secured funding to allow us to build the first new council houses in over 30 years under the Social Housing Investment Programme.

“In addition, we are continuing a significant and wide ranging programme of upgrade and refurbishment work to our existing houses. This will make a real difference for our tenants and ensure they can enjoy a quality home environment.”

Full and partial upgrade will be carried out in homes in Ayr, Dundonald, Symington, Crosshill, Kirkoswald, Maybole, Troon, Girvan, Ballantrae, Loans, Prestwick, Colmonell, Tarbolton and Coylton.

In the Wallacetoun area of Ayr, significant improvement to 12 maisonette blocks will be completed by early next year, and £350,000 has been set aside to deal with dampness in many homes.

All houses will be modernised to meet national home energy rating guidelines, making them more energy efficient.

Common closes will also be fitted with door entry systems and every home will be given a new smoke detector.

Councillor Campbell added: “We take our responsibility as a social landlord very seriously and every one of our homes will meet, or exceed, national standards within the next four years.

“The Capital Housing Investment Programme represents a clear and ambitious intent to make sure our housing is of the highest quality for our tenants.”