Work is progressing on Aberdeen’s largest council housing scheme in decades – with the potential of thousands more homes being created during the next five years.
A new £13million estate of 99 properties is taking shape at the former Smithfield primary site on Middlefield, with the first council houses to be built in the city in ten years now complete.
The Labour-led council have decided to invest heavily in housing in a bid to cut a waiting list of around 8,000 applicants.
Construction on phase one, which includes a further 11 homes, is expected to be finished by May. Work is also progressing on the nearby Manor Walk site where a further 80 council houses are being built.
And a paper to be presented to the full council meeting next week calls for a feasibility study to be drawn up on delivering 2,000 homes in the city by 2022.
Last year, the Scottish Government axed the long-standing right to buy property which resulted in tens of thousands of council houses being sold to tenants and reducing stock.
Council leader, Jenny Laing, said financial pressures had previously prevented the creation of large-scale council house building in the city.
She added: “We realised that housing is a major issue in the city.
“While we obviously have a joined-up approach with social landlords like housing associations, we felt the council itself had also to build homes.
“This flagship project is developing contemporary, all-purpose homes for residents in our city who are struggling to meet private rents and struggling to find suitable accommodation.”
