A couple from Clydebank have become the proud residents of a brand new council house in Granville Street.

The home is one of the first to be built in West Dunbartonshire in a generation.

Newlyweds Karen and Neil Rodgers and their three children were given the keys to their new four-bedroomed home, which is one of 24 new properties in the development.

The £2.4m Granville Street project consists of five three-bedroomed terraced and four four-bedroomed semi-detached homes, with 15 one and two-bed flats to follow in September.

Clydebank has one of the highest needs for social rented housing in West Dunbartonshire and these properties have been built as part of a wider commitment by the Council to deliver 350 rented homes by 2018. They are the first new council properties in the area for more than 25 years.

The council, which has built the new homes with contractor Robertson, received a £720,000 grant from the Scottish Government's Innovation and Investment Fund.

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A further nine flats are also currently under construction and are scheduled to be ready by December this year.

Councillor David McBride, Housing Convener, said: "It gives me great pleasure to be handing over the keys to Mr and Mrs Rodgers to their lovely new home. These are the first council houses to be built here in a generation and our very ambitious target to deliver 350 new homes over the next five years means there will be many more like these to come.

"I hope the Rodgers family and their new neighbours are very happy here in Granville Street and community continues to grow and thrive."

Martin Smith, Regional Managing Director from Robertson, added: "The Granville Street development is the latest project we have delivered on budget and ahead of time, and one which we are very proud to have been involved with.

"It's satisfying to see the first family move into their new home, and with the properties designed to be energy efficient, their running costs will be very low.

"We delivered this project using the SCAPE framework which saves our public sector clients time and money. This approach allowed West Dunbartonshire Council tenants to move into their new homes six months earlier than would normally be possible."

Mrs Rodgers said: "It's like someone has given us a winning lottery ticket - with the wedding, the honeymoon and now the new house - the excitement is unbelievable. Both our boys have special needs and up until now all five of us have been in a two bedroom house. Now all the children will have their own room, so it will big a huge change for the whole family.

"We feel blessed to be moving into this beautiful new home - we are literally on cloud nine and can't wait to move in."

(JP/MH)