Clackmannanshire Council has agreed a new five-year Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) for 2023 to 2028.

In July 2021, The Scottish Government provided a four year Resource Planning Assumption (RPA) for Clackmannanshire totalling £23.071million.

A report before Council stated the Council expects to spend £4.2m on investing in new housing in 2023/24 and gave details on estimated spending on the subsequent four years.

Among the planned developments over the next five years are Lochies Road, Clackmannan; Lower Mill Street, Tillicoultry; Glentana Mill, Alva and Pool of Muckhart along with Bedford Place and Carsebridge Road, both Alloa.

The Council is also looking at a number of other potential sites which could come into play if the priority sites don’t work out.

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This ‘shadow programme’ of sites would ensure Council plans could continue at pace and they could also be added into the main programme if additional funding becomes available.

This approach allows additional flexibility to help ensure that the number of new homes and spend in Clackmannanshire is maximised.

The list of potential ‘shadow’ sites includes land at Alva West, Sauchie West, Forest Mill and Brook Street, Alva.

The meeting also heard about the need for specialist housing to meet the needs of our growing aging population and people living with disabilities.

The Council aims to ensure that all new social homes are suitable for those with some level of mobility difficulties whilst 7% should be fully adapted to meet the needs of wheelchair users.

Over the course of the SHIP at least 10 bungalows for wheelchair users are planned, as well as three homes for wheelchair users  on Primrose Street and three on Elm Grove, Alloa.

Spokesperson for housing and property, Councillor Jane McTaggart said: "Our aim is to provide the right houses in the right location, delivering both choice and affordability.

"Our plans for new housing are ambitious and spread across the whole of Clackmannanshire so that all our communities will see the benefits.

"I recently attended an open day at Primrose Place in Alloa and was impressed by the quality of the development, so it will be fascinating to see how the other housing plans we have take shape over the coming years. I am sure they will be equally as impressive."