|
18
May 06 The £1.35 million development in the town’s Laurie Terrace by Pentland Housing Association will bring a much-needed boost to affordable homes in the area. Nine of the properties will be for social rent and four will be for sale through the Executive’s new shared-equity scheme, Homestake, which aims to get those on a low income onto the property ladder. It is hoped the development of the brownfield site on the edge of the town will help address the demand for affordable places to live. The site is a mix of refurbished existing farm steadings and new build properties. Timber cladding painted in a palette of natural colours is to be used to enhance the use of random stone work and vernacular dormer windows. High performance timber windows and doors will work in tandem electric storage heating. David Brookfield, Director of Pentland Housing Association, added: This will be a very attractive scheme as the architects have achieved a design that retains the buildings traditional features using modern materials and sustainable features. I expect the properties to be very popular and help to meet housing need in the increasingly pressured area of Caithness. Homestake is Communities Scotland’s new shared-equity scheme aimed at people on low incomes who wish to be homeowners but cannot pay the full price for a house. Housing associations will part-fund a share in the property and hold a part ‘equity stake’ in the property with the homeowner. Typically the owner’s share will be between 60 and 80 per cent at the start. Most Homestake owners will have the option later to increase their stake and own their home outright. The scheme was launched in Aberdeen by Communities Minister, Malcolm Chisholm, in March and opened for applications by the Minister in Inverness in September. The contractor for the development is O’Brien Construction, Park Lane, Thurso. The project is due for completion by June 2007. |
