Eight new homes for affordable rent in Connel are to be constructed, Scottish Housing News has reported.

It is understood Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) has secured funding and appointed a contractor to build the homes.

The development, valued at £1,072,146 is largely made up of grant funding from the Scottish Government of £472,000, finance from ACHA of £424,000, plus a £176,000 grant from Argyll and Bute Council's Strategic Housing Fund.

The homes will be built by construction firm M&K MacLeod on land between the south side of Connel Bridge and the Oban-Glasgow railway line. Planning permission was awarded earlier this month and there are now plans for construction work to commence in February, with a final completion date of spring 2015.

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Alastair MacGregor, Chief Executive of ACHA, said: "As an Association we are delighted to have been able to secure the various strands of funding to build these new homes for rent in the village.

"In particular, I would like to thank the Scottish Government and Argyll and Bute Council for their financial support. I am not aware of an affordable home for rent being built in the village since the 1950s. I look forward to these homes contributing to meeting housing need in the village in the future.

"While the new homes are important the contract will also provide jobs and support apprenticeships and contribute to the building supply chain in the area."

Argyll and Bute Council's Policy Lead for Housing, Councillor Robin Currie, added: "It will be great to see the start of this project and excellent news for those people on the waiting list.

"Building houses in places like Connel is the foundation of having stronger and sustainable communities and I am delighted that by working closely with ACHA and using the council's Strategic Housing Fund, we are providing eight new, much needed, homes."

(JP/MH)