Much needed homes are the “final elements in the jigsaw” in the penultimate phase of a £40 million development that will change a once blighted former Perth housing scheme, it has been claimed.
Twenty-five family and cottage homes are scheduled to be handed over in May, with the final phase of the Muirton regeneration seeing the construction of another 200 homes beginning later this year subject to planning approval.
After Perth and Kinross Council granted approval of the mammoth project in 2006, its first phase was finished in 2007, with the second phase being completed two years later.
Phase three was finished in 2011 and the fourth phase completed in 2013.
This was achieved by demolishing more than 600 tenement flats in the 1990s, following many years of Muirton being regarded as a much maligned housing scheme.
The regeneration programme was part of efforts made to get rid of this stigma, which included removing former street names such as Ainslie Gardens.
More than 40 guests of Fairfield Housing Co-operative one of the partners involved in the project saw board members, staff from Caledonia Housing, councillors and council housing staff examine the final stages.
This was followed by a viewing of an exhibition to highlight the proposals for the final phase of 200 homes. Work on these is expected to start later this year.
Grant Ager, chief executive of Fairfield, told The Courier he feels the final elements of “the jigsaw” in this “highly successful” project are now in place.
“These have gained momentum to see a firm completion date of 2018,” he said.
“We are delighted with the quality and aesthetic of these homes and they add another dynamic to the overall project.”
And a spokesperson for Caledonia Housing Association, another of the partners, added: “We are pleased to have provided these latest houses for Fairfield Housing Co-op in the latest phase of our continued regeneration of Muirton Park. We are looking forward to working with them on the final phases which will see over 200 homes starting on site later this year.”
Councillor Dave Doogan, convener of Perth and Kinross Council’s housing and health committee, commented: “Following the completion of this latest phase there will be sustained activity which will see the remaining phases completed over the next few years.”