EAST Ayrshire Council has said it is to invest £154 million in its housing over the next five years.
The local authority said that projects in the plan could deliver up to 1,229 affordable homes for the constituency.
The council will work with its strategic partner, CCG (Scotland) Ltd, on the new build affordable housing programme which it said will help to increase the supply of specialist housing to meet particular needs.
The builds will also focus on tackling sustainability, climate change and fuel poverty reduction targets, with the council saying it hopes to develop and pilot a new net zero housing model.
The local authority said that it will also invest £81 million to improve its existing homes – with 2,600 receiving new kitchens, bathrooms and electrical upgrades, while 4,000 will benefit from new energy efficient heating systems.
It comes following significant investment having already been made across East Ayrshire to improve the affordable housing stock. Since 2016, 477 new or reconfigured council homes have been completed.
Councillor Douglas Reid, leader of East Ayrshire Council, said, “We talk about millions of pounds of investment and new homes that have been designed to support the needs of our communities, what that means is lives and communities have been changed for the better. Until this year, I have visited all of our new build developments to speak to tenants about their new homes and the changes they have seen to their lives. These conversations confirm that we are doing the right thing and that homes aren’t just somewhere that you put your belongings, they are the heart of the family and having the right accommodation to meet the needs of our tenants, and their children, can be life changing.”
