An area of Rattray once dubbed “bandit country” by councillors is to be reinvented as a model neighbourhood.
Long-derelict council homes are finally being brought back into use in order to fill a “housing void” in the community. For the best part of a decade the properties on Old Mill Road have been sitting empty, deteriorating and boarded-up.
Despairing councillors had bemoaned the inaction that followed the decanting of tenants to newer housing, accusing the local authority of “shirking” the issue.
Now, however, the area has been given “a brand new start”, with work to renovate 15 properties likely to be completed in a few weeks. Plans for new housing will then be taken forward by the council, in a move that it is hoped will rejuvenate the area.
As long ago as 2006, officials were looking at a variety of options for the blighted site one being the possibility of offering some of the properties to migrant workers.
A local letting initiative to establish likely demand was even undertaken but, like other plans, it fell by the wayside.
It was not until February last year that the council finally agreed to the homes’ renovation, in a bid to revitalise the area and create more social housing for local people.
It will provide modern accommodation for families in the form of 11 two-bedroom flats, two two-bedroom houses, one three-bedroom and one four-bedroom house.
Each has been fitted with eco-features such as wall, loft and under-floor insulation, triple glazing, energy-efficient heating systems, heat recovery ventilation systems and energy monitors to help minimise fuel bills.
A meeting has already been held with prospective tenants and existing owner-occupiers on Old Mill Road to discuss a Neighbourhood Agreement.
“This whole project will regenerate the Old Mill Road area of Rattray and make it a place where families want to live,” the council’s convener of housing and health, Dave Doogan, said.
“The renovation work has brought all the properties up to a very high standard and tenants have been carefully matched to properties.
“The neighbourhood agreement, meanwhile, will help to nurture a sense of community and pride in the area and create a positive, sustainable community.”
He added: “This will be a brand new start for the Old Mill Road area. It brings valuable and high-quality social housing back into use in an area where there is high demand for family accommodation.”
Some tenancies are still available at Old Mill Road and anyone who is interested should contact their local housing office or email HCCInfo@pkc.gov.uk.