The £1.5M Project Delivering Energy Efficient Homes in Perthshire

Kingdom Housing Association has acquired eight energy-efficient homes for Mid Market Rent in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, from Scotia Homes. How is the project helping make houses more affordable for local people?

The £1.5 million project is part of a larger private Hazelwood site and has been partly funded by the Scottish Government with a contribution from Perth & Kinross Council. The remaining balance has been financed by Kingdom Initiatives.

MMC Has Been Used To Ensure Energy Efficiency

It will see the new 2 and 3-bedroom homes mark Kingdom Housing Association’s first Mid Market Rent offerings in the area. Bill Banks, Kingdom Group Chief Executive, explained that MMC has been used to ensure that the houses are not only built to an extremely high standard but are as energy efficient as possible.

He said: “Modern methods of construction mean these homes are highly energy-efficient and the inclusion of solar panels means tenants will be able to make the most of renewable energy.”

The homes also benefit from fast fibre internet connectivity which is ideal for home working.

Using MMC means that construction is built faster with fewer defects. In addition to this, it will help to see reductions in energy use and waste, which is essential to ensuring more sustainable builds and helping us to reach our net zero targets.

The Focus Is On Keeping Tenants’ Energy Bills Down

By working collaboratively with Perth & Kinross Council and Scotia Homes, the association is able to offer these new homes to help meet the current housing demand in the area. Perth & Kinross Council’s Housing and Social Wellbeing Convener, Councillor Tom McEwan, expressed that the focus of the council’s work on the project was to help reduce the cost of homes for its local people.

He said: “These excellent Mid Market homes for social rent will help to meet a particular housing need in Blairgowrie. They have been built to an extremely high standard, with a range of energy efficiency measures included to help keep tenants’ energy bills down and reduce the carbon footprint of the development.”

I am delighted that the council was able to make a significant contribution towards the cost of the homes.

Mid Market Rent housing is designed to assist the accommodation of households who are economically active. These could be those living in private rented housing, those living with family, friends, or relatives, those lacking security of tenure in their current home, or those currently occupying or holding positions on waiting lists in respect of council or housing association property.

For applicants, a minimum/maximum income criteria applies: Applicants must have a minimum household income of £17,000 per year, for one and two bedroom properties the maximum household income is £36,000 per year, and for three and four bedroom properties the maximum household income is £40,000 per year.