Tomatin affordable housing milestone as pupils break ground on vital Strathdearn community project
New affordable homes in a Strathdearn community are a big step nearer after school pupils broke ground to signal the start of construction.
Strathdearn Community Developments (SCD) is building six new homes next to the primary school in Tomatin, with the plan for them to be completed by spring of next year.
The move is part of efforts to address housing needs in the rural community, and are the direct result of local consultation which identified need for the mix of two and three-bedroom homes. Once built they will be retained by SCD, which is a local community run company, and offered at an “affordable rent”.
Graeme Ferguson, chairman at SCD, said: “The affordable housing project is a vital step in sustaining our small community, the local primary school and locally owned assets, such as the newly acquired woodland. It has always been a great place to live and work, but with new facilities, there is even more to support a thriving community.”
Maureen McDonald-Cooke, project & development manager at SCD, added: ‘This is a fantastic opportunity, and I am delighted to help deliver this legacy project for the community. We know that the demand for housing in the local area outstrips the supply, and we are looking forward to seeing families with a local connection potentially returning to live here for the long term.
“We are grateful for all the support from funders, stakeholders and partners who have helped make this project a reality, and of course, to Strathdearn Primary School for helping us mark the construction milestone.”
The new housing is one of a range of regeneration initiatives carried out in the Strathdearn area by SCD in recent years. These have included the community hub, with hall, shop and café, broadband connections, children’s play area, safer routes to school paths network, and community woodland.
The housing project is a collaboration between the community and the Tomatin Estate. It has been in the works for more than five years, and gained funding from Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE), Eneco and Glen Kyllachy wind farms operating in the area.
The project also received “a significant boost” from the Scottish Government’s Rural Housing Fund and a loan from Social Investment Scotland.
On-site, practical support has been pledged by Balfour Beatty – lead contractor on the A9 dualling project’s Tomatin to Moy section – SCD’s Inverness-based quantity surveyors, WSD Scotland, Colin Armstrong Architects, Neil Ross Consulting Engineers on Structure, and Caintech Ltd Civil Engineering & Design Surveying. The main contract has been awarded to Allan Munro Construction of Aviemore.
“The focus on community ownership and regeneration has already provided a significant boost to the community, and this housing project will support that ambition further.
“We are pleased to support a project that will have clear benefits, both in the short term for the tenants who move in, and in the longer term, for the economic prosperity of this area, and look forward to watching construction progress.”
