Minister for Local Government and Housing, Kevin Stewart MSP, has carried out the official ground breaking at the Ardrossan Harbour, Montgomerie Street site. This landmark event marks the regeneration of the empty brownfield site which Cunninghame Housing Association (CHA) purchased from Clydeport in March 2007.
Contractors will be on site for a 16-month period, with overall completion scheduled for December 2017.
Mr Stewart said:
“I would like to congratulate CHA for responding so positively in providing affordable homes on this site, and I am pleased the SNP Government was able to support this with a grant of £5.8 million."
Added Kenneth Gibson:
“We need to maintain and increase the supply of new affordable homes to help meet people’s housing needs.
"This development will provide 70 much needed high quality homes for a mix of families, older people and wheelchair users. It will be modern, contemporary and highly energy efficient as well as deliver community benefits.”
The main contractor, Ashleigh Scotland Ltd, is working closely with CHA to deliver a programme of community benefits, with three new Ayrshire apprentices being recruited as a result of this project. In addition, the strategic partnership has created the following community benefits:
• Work experience placements for students from local schools (three week placements with Ashleigh); • One to one mentoring of a local young person over a 12-month period. He/she will have the opportunity to visit sites, talk to site managers, and discuss their own employment pathway and receive advice on same; • Primary school engagement (visits by the contractor and competitions for local school children); • Ashleigh will also support/sponsor a local sports association or community group; • The vast majority of the contractors’ supply chain are Ayrshire based.
Frank Sweeney, Chief Executive, CHA, commented:
“We are delighted once again to have the support of our strategic partners North Ayrshire Council and the SNP Government to enable us to deliver these new high quality homes, together with a raft of community benefits.
“From a works contract of £7 million from the Montgomerie Street site, £6.1 million will be recirculated within the Ayrshire economy through the contractors own trades, suppliers and sub contractors. This is what strategic partnerships can deliver.”
As well as the Montgomerie Street site, Ashleigh will also deliver an additional two sites at New Street, Stevenston, and Stanley Primary School, Ardrossan, on behalf of CHA. These two sites combined will provide an additional 38 units and will both commence on site in March 2017.
The contractor will also incorporate these two additional sites into the pipeline for its apprentice intake for next year, resulting in another three or four further new start apprenticeships.
ENDS
