Our biggest council house development opens doors

Published 30 June 2022

We celebrated the completion of new council homes in Barrhead's Balgraystone Road with an official opening event, marking our largest housing development to date.

The 47-home development was delivered in partnership with Glasgow-based contractor CCG (Scotland), with more than £3million in Scottish Government funding, and consists of 6 one-and-two-bedroom wheelchair adaptable flats, 12 two-bedroom flats and 26 three-and-four-bedroom terraced houses designed by MAST Architects. Works began in October 2020 and keys are now being handed over to more than 200 new tenants.

All of these homes have been constructed using CCG's enhanced 'iQ' Timber System, a structural timber frame solution that combines with modern construction methods to create dwellings that have improved airtightness and thermal performance characteristics. This results in a vast reduction in heat loss with lower energy demand contributing to lowering carbon emissions and generating annual savings on energy bills. 

This innovation is contributing to our Get to Zero strategy where one of our goals is improve the energy efficiency of our homes as well as other properties across East Renfrewshire.

Since our ambitious new build development got underway in 2018, more than 170 homes have been built or are in development, providing affordable housing for those who need it most.

Councillor Danny Devlin, East Renfrewshire Council Housing and Maintenance Convener, said: 'It is fantastic to see these homes now complete here in Barrhead, in what has been the most challenging of times. These high-quality new builds are providing much-needed housing to tenants and families and I'd like to wish them well in their new homes. I'd like to thank everyone who played their part in the development and completion of this site - it is a fantastic achievement for us all. The technology used in these energy efficient houses will reduce heating costs, making a big difference to our tenants. We are fully committed to improving our tenants' homes and supporting owner-occupiers and other tenures to improve energy efficiency, which will ensure all residents in East Renfrewshire can live in warm comfortable homes at affordable energy costs.'

CCG Scotland Ltd Managing Director, David Wylie, added: "The completion of Balgraystone Road is a big milestone for CCG and East Renfrewshire Council. Not only does it form a major part of a housebuilding programme and strategic partnership that commenced over five years ago, the added layer of significance in the handover of the project undeniably stems in its delivery. By working together, we unwaveringly faced the challenges of the pandemic head on to ensure that we delivered for Barrhead and the result is this fantastic development of quality, energy efficient homes, and a legacy of support within the local community. On behalf of CCG, I thank the Council for their support and we look forward to working with them again in the future.'

Looking ahead to future projects, 14 homes in Maidenhill will complete in spring 2023, in partnership with Robertson Homes, and planning is underway for an additional six sites across East Renfrewshire, potentially providing a further 173 new homes in the coming years.