A ground breaking ceremony has been held at Fraser Walk, New Farm Loch in Kilmarnock to mark the start of construction of 56 new homes.

The homes are being part of a strategic partnership between East Ayrshire Council and CCG (Scotland) Ltd's that will see over 400 affordable homes constructed in the region over the next three years.

The site, which was previously occupied by Council-owned blocks of flats, will deliver high-quality, energy-efficient homes in a range of sizes and types, and will include two specially-designed homes for wheelchair users with integral carports.

Councillor Douglas Reid, Leader of the Council was joined at the official ground breaking by local members Councillors Barry Douglas and Jon Herd and Shona Milligan from the community council as well as CCG Director Calum Murray, Contracts Manager Derek Gall and Site Manager, Joe Hunter.

Councillor Reid said: "New Farm Loch is an area where we have a high demand for affordable housing. The Fraser Walk site, which used to house Council-owned blocks of flats, accommodate 56 new build homes with associated landscaping and a communal area with play equipment for younger children. This development, which will be completed summer 2020, is going to regenerate the centre of New Farm Loch while providing a wide range of home styles and sizes to meet the varying needs of our residents.

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"Creating affordable homes, supporting the local building industry and creating jobs for local people; the housing building programme within East Ayrshire is changing both lives and the local townscape. I was delighted to perform the official sod cut."

Calum Murray, Director of CCG, said: "Our work with East Ayrshire Council is continuing to bring benefits to communities across the region with new, modern, affordable homes that are highly energy-efficient as well as a broad range of job and training opportunities.

"Working with the communities in which we operate will always be an integral part of CCG's ethos and we are delighted to state that as a result of the Fraser Walk project, CCG has been able to donate £10,000 to a number of community-based projects in Kilmarnock."

Since the commencement of the strategic partnership, CCG has completed Cassillis Court, Dalrymple, with a further 134 homes set to be delivered by February 2020. Also, in addition to jobs, training, work placements and curriculum support, CCG has donated over £38,000 to community-based initiatives.

All the homes, which are being delivered through the Scottish Procurement Alliance, will meet Housing for Varying Needs and Secure by Design standards and Silver Standard accreditation.

(MH/CM)