North Ayrshire Council is to benefit from almost 200 new affordable homes following a successful bid for £6.5m from the Scottish Government's Innovation and Investment Fund.

The council secured funding of £1.073m for house building projects in Kilwinning and Millport.

£725,000 was awarded towards the cost of building 25 new homes at Redstone Avenue, Kilwinning and £348,000 for 12 new amenity houses for older people at Copeland Crescent, Millport.

Council-backed bids for local housing association projects in Irvine and Arran were also successful in securing £5.46m.

Cunninghame Housing Association (CHA) were awarded £2.25m towards the cost of the third phase of a major house building programme at Vineburgh in Irvine where a further 63 new homes will be built.

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CHA will receive a further £766,000 from the Scottish Government to subsidise the cost of building 26 new affordable homes at Flat Farm in Largs.

Trust Housing secured £2.44m to help build 56 new homes at Benlister South, Arran.

The bids, which had to be nationally competitive, were submitted to the Scottish Government earlier this year seeking funding to subsidise a series of house building projects in North Ayrshire.

The projects were intended to help regenerate the local area and address a significant shortage of affordable homes.

The Council therefore granted £1.09m funding from the Affordable Housing Contribution - ring fenced money for local housing projects which is generated through Second Homes Council Tax – to ensure strong bids from CHA and Trust Housing.

North Ayrshire Council's spokesperson for the environment, Councillor Tom Barr, said: "The Council has identified a shortfall of around 2,700 affordable homes in North Ayrshire and is committed to addressing this.

"I am delighted that we have been able to secure funding for our own Council housing building projects and were able to support both Trust Housing and Cunninghame Housing Association in their bids to the Scottish Government through the Affordable Housing Contribution.

"All five of these projects will help regenerate the area, address the shortfall of affordable homes in North Ayrshire and improve the standard and quality of housing provision for older people."

(JG/BMcC)