Nine new houses are being constructed at East Ayrshire Council’s £1.4m housing development site at Ayr Road in Cumnock.

The development stands on the site of the former library and local office and includes eight two-bedroom homes designed for older people and one two-bedroom home designed for wheelchair users.

The homes are part of the Council’s town centre, house building programme and designed in collaboration with the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community.

The properties will feature natural slate roofs, wet dash harl, timber doors and windows, and a new stone boundary wall to the front.

Councillor Douglas Reid, Leader of the Council viewed the new homes with local members, Councillors Billy Crawford and Kathy Morrice, and students from the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community.

He said: "The Ayr Road site is a key part of the Council’s Strategic Local Programme which will see over 200 affordable homes being built in town centres throughout East Ayrshire fulfilling our objective to promote town centre living and in turn aid town centre regeneration.

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"I am delighted with the Ayr Road site; the old library and local office which are now both based in state of the art Rothesay House have made way for homes of the future specially designed for elderly and ambulant disabled people. It has been extremely beneficial to work with the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community and the fantastic results are plain to see. I am also delighted that their Young Heritage Apprentices, based at Dumfries House have been involved in the build process."

Ed Taylor, Representative in Scotland for The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community, added: "Both East Ayrshire Council and Ashleigh Building have been excellent partners to work with and we are delighted to have been able to play a part in the design of these homes. We believe that new homes and developments should always strive to raise the spirits as well as providing much needed accommodation, whether they are homes for first-time buyers or for the elderly. These houses take inspiration from the rich local patterns of building including nearby cottages and an old toll house which once stood on Ayr Road.

"Our Young Heritage Apprentices have also made a notable contribution in fabricating the timber canopies for the houses, which were expertly crafted by them under the guidance of their tutors at Dumfries House. In training these young craftspeople we are not only giving them the skills they need for a career in construction, but we are also making sure that essential crafts skills survive. We look forward to seeing the homes occupied and we hope that this small development will make a valuable contribution to the town of Cumnock."

The homes are being built by Ashleigh Construction Ltd. and supported by funding from the Scottish government. The homes are due for completion in December.

(IT/CD)