THE leader of West Lothian Council has witnessed how West Lothian Housing Partnership (WLHP) is ‘transforming’ communities in the area.
WLHP, part of Wheatley, has built 146 new homes in Almondvale Court in Livingston.
Councillor Lawrence Fitzpatrick this week visited the site and met with tenants.
Almondvale Court comprises 66 social rent and 26 mid-market rent flats, as well as ten supported flats for Wheatley Care, WLHP’s partners in Wheatley Group. The development also includes 45 Livingwell homes, the group’s service – provided by Wheatley Care – to support older tenants to live independently.
Councillor Fitzpatrick said, “The opening of this development represents a significant boost to increasing the availability of social housing in the Livingston area. It was a pleasure to meet with the new tenants to hear their stories and I’m sure they will enjoy life at this prominent location.
“With demand for social housing high in the Livingston area, the construction of these new homes comes as West Lothian is in the midst of one of the most ambitious social housing programmes in the country, with West Lothian Council working in conjunction with WLHP and other Registered Social Landlords to deliver over 2,300 affordable homes since 2012.
“Access to housing can be transformative and the council remains committed to working with partners to ensure that high quality social housing is available for the people of West Lothian.”
The £17.6 million Almondvale Court project includes a £9.2 million Scottish Government grant and the developer is the Cruden Group.
Steven Simpson, MD of Cruden Homes East, said, “We are pleased to continue the Cruden Group’s strong working relationship with Wheatley in delivering this landmark development of sustainable, quality and affordable new homes for WLHP in Livingston. At Cruden, we pride ourselves on giving back to the local communities that we build in. On this project, we brought important benefits to the local area, including new jobs, work placement opportunities, trade apprenticeships and a graduate role.”
