Proposals for a major investment programme which will transform council housing in Renfrewshire over the next decade have been given the go-ahead.
The Regeneration and Renewal Programme will invest at least £100million in council housing over the next 10 years.
The programme will create around 300 newbuild homes and deliver improvements to existing housing in eight areas in Johnstone, Paisley and Renfrew in its first phase.
Communities, Housing and Planning Convener Councillor Marie McGurk said: “This programme is a key part of our plans to help Renfrewshire recover and flourish following this pandemic. Having a safe, warm and affordable home is so important for the health and wellbeing of people.
“This programme will support our communities and help tackle fuel poverty as well as help achieve our climate change goals. No-one should have to live in fuel poverty and we know that the pandemic has made this situation worse for some people. We will address this by improving the energy efficiency of our homes within these regeneration areas, creating a better Renfrewshire for our communities.
“Covid-19 has had a major impact on our communities in Renfrewshire. It has also shown more than ever how important community is. We will be consulting and engaging with communities before finalising our plans for each area to ensure the work we are doing meets their needs and creates thriving places they can flourish in and be proud of for years to come.”
Phase one of the programme will focus on homes in Moorpark (Renfrew), Thrushcraigs (Paisley), Broomlands (Paisley) Howwood Road (Johnstone), Waverley Road (Paisley), Howard Street (Paisley), Auchentorlie/Seedhill (Paisley) and Springbank Road (Paisley). Proposals for a second phase will be developed in 2021.
The council will consult and engage with communities to develop comprehensive regeneration and renewal plans which will be individually tailored to meet the needs of each area.
The regeneration and renewal programme will build on the success of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard Programme, which invested £147million in council housing in Renfrewshire between 2010 and 2015. It will also sit alongside the Council’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan which, in partnership with housing associations, will create around 1,000 new affordable homes in Renfrewshire by 2022, including over 200 new Council houses.
It is part of the Council’s two-year economic and social recovery plan which will help Renfrewshire thrive in the wake of Covid-19. The plan was prepared in consultation with Renfrewshire’s Economic Leadership Panel and approved at a Council meeting today (Thursday 17 December).
The transformational programme will also create job and training opportunities in Renfrewshire and support the Council’s work to achieve its climate change targets by addressing fuel poverty and improving the energy efficiency performance of homes in these regeneration areas.
More than 3,500 homes in Renfrewshire have already had external insulation fitted after the council received £18.4million through the Scottish Government’s HEEPS:ABS funding programme. This work is estimated to have reduced Renfrewshire’s carbon output by 250,000 tonnes.
The Council, which is landlord to 12,000 homes in Renfrewshire, is already working to deliver over 400 newbuild council houses in areas including Johnstone Castle, Ferguslie Park and South West Johnstone and recently completed a project in Bishopton.
For more information about the programme, email strategyandplace@renfrewshire.gov.uk or call 0300 300 0222.