EAST Ayrshire Council is to invest almost £244 million in affordable housing across the region over the next five years, the local authority has announced.
Elected members have agreed to invest £104 million in new and acquired homes from 2026-2031, with £139.8 million being committed to council house improvement works across the same period.
Councillor Douglas Reid, Leader of East Ayrshire Council, said, “Our housebuilding programme has brought significant and positive change to the lives of residents across East Ayrshire. I have visited every new development, spoken to tenants and seen first-hand the impact that a wheelchair accessible home has had on people of all ages, from children to our older residents. The homes are warm, they are economical to run and more recently our developments have been net zero where we have installed solar panels and heat source pumps to further reduce energy usage.
“We have also been working closely with the EA Health and Social Care Partnership on providing assisted living developments – Wallace Court in Mauchline being the most recent. This development provides 17 assisted living flats where the tenants are supported to live independently and can be actively involved in community life.
“New housing has also helped to regenerate areas – Witch Road in Kilmarnock for example has been transformed and we are hoping to be on site in Cumnock next year at George McTurk Court where we are planning a large development of up to 65 homes. More than once, I have been asked where the new Council houses are because people have gone to have a look and only found ‘fancy new homes’. Our aim is to tackle inequality and ensure that everyone in East Ayrshire has a warm, attractive and secure home.”
An investment of £45 million will see 350 homes each year benefiting from a whole house approach to insulation works, external rendering and re-roofing, with a further 100 homes set to have replacement roofs. £7.5 million will be invested in energy efficient windows and doors for 200 homes, and over £17 million will provide Grade A energy efficient heating systems for 800 homes each year of the programme.
Over £45 million will be invested in new kitchens, bathrooms and electrical upgrades for 680 homes annually. Further to this, £3.5 million will be invested in a planned programme of cleaning and minor repair works to high-level gutters, rooflines, and rainwater goods.
