Clydesdale to get 314new council houses

The first mainstream council houses to be built in Clydesdale for over 30 years are on the way, with 314 new homes being lined up by 2022.
For decades councils built thousands of housesFor decades councils built thousands of houses
For decades councils built thousands of houses

They will be our share of a South Lanarkshire-wide 1,500-house building programme costing £55m.

The decision to go ahead with the project, the first major council building programme here since the early 1980s, was made at Thursday’s meeting of South Lanarkshire Council’s housing committee.

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The Gazette understands that the precise sitesfor the new homes are yet to be decided, although it is thought that Clydesdale’s major towns – Carluke, Lanark, Lesmahagow and Biggar – will get the lion’s share as demand is greatest there.

It is also understood that new homes in the early part of the programme will be built on land already in council ownership to cut costs and save time on land purchases.

Although the council is a Labour-controlled authority, its opposition SNP group has claimed some of the credit for the project, saying the bulk of the funding would be coming from the Scottish Government as it is committed to creating 50,000 new homes nationwide for social rent in the next six years.

The group’s housing spokesman, Law and Carluke councillor David Shearer, said: “This plan is to be welcomed.

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“It shows the commitment of South Lanarkshire and the Scottish Government in meeting the needs of the families and individuals who are currently on waiting lists or homeless and now have more of a chance of a new home.

“It is the biggest council building plan in decades.”

The authority’s housing director, Daniel Lowe, said: “South Lanarkshire Council and our registered social landlord partners are committed to increasing the supply of much-needed affordable housing for rent.

“The council has a current programme to build 500 new council houses within areas experiencing real pressure for housing.

“The plan has been developed taking account of the funding available from the Scottish Government, a minimum of £44.029m over the period of the plan, which will help the council and our partners develop the new homes which are required to meet housing needs across South Lanarkshire.”