Residents at a recently completed housing development in Ferguslie Park marked the milestone by welcoming the Scottish Housing Minister to their new homes.
Paul McLennan MSP visited the Tannahill development in Ferguslie Park earlier this year to meet residents and have a tour of the site.
The development, built by Renfrewshire Council and AS Homes on the site of the former St Fergus Primary School, features 101 modern new-build energy efficient homes. The project was supported by funding from the Scottish Government’s affordable housing supply programme.
As part of the ongoing community-led regeneration of Paisley’s Ferguslie Park area, this project acknowledged that working in partnership with the local community was an integral part of delivering this vision, as many of the residents had lived in the area for a number of years.
Throughout the seven year regeneration project, council officers carried out extensive consultation with tenants, owners and local groups which included public engagement events, local drop-in surgeries, newsletters and frequent text and calls, giving them opportunities to comment and feedback on the regeneration of their area and address any concerns they had.
This pro-active approach was recently recognised at the Scottish Homes Awards with the project being awarded Housing Regeneration Project of the Year and Large Affordable Housing Development of the year.
Owner Angela Telford met with the minister during his visit. She has lived in the Tannahill area for more than 36 years and was initially nervous to move but is now delighted with her new home.
Photo: (left to right) Scottish Housing Minister Paul McLennan, Angela Telford with Angela’s dog
Photo Credit: Renfrewshire Council
She said: “It was my family home I left, so it was a real tug to leave it, but looking at it now when I see what I have I’m delighted.
“When I got the keys for the house and started moving my things in it was wonderful. Within a couple of days, I felt as if I’d always been here.
“The way the house has been designed, everything has been taken into consideration in terms of the space and design. It all flows really well and it’s wheelchair accessible. The big kitchen and bathroom are great. We can sit and eat dinner in the kitchen now which we couldn’t do before.”
Tenants moving into the new-builds had the chance to influence the design of their homes, including choosing the set-up of their kitchens and their preferences for who they would like to live close to when everyone moved across to the new development.
Angela commented: “Most of my neighbours from Tannahill are all round about me so it’s still all familiar. They’ve considered how they’ve housed us, so we still have our wee community. I wouldn’t go back to Tannahill Road now.”
The homes provide a mix of house types and sizes to meet current and future housing needs in the area. The mix of properties includes 2, 3 and 4 bedroom houses, 1 and 2 bedroom cottage flats and 1 and 2 bedroom bungalows.
The majority of the new homes are council-owned, with a small number being sold to owners within the Tannahill regeneration area through the Scottish Government’s New Supply Shared-Equity scheme.
Council tenant Sarah Lappin was born in Ferguslie Park and lived in Tannahill Terrace for 22 years. She welcomed the minister into her bungalow during his visit. She said: “I couldn’t wait to move into my new place. I didn’t realise how big the house would be. I love the space and how quiet it is.”
During the consultation with the regeneration team, Sarah had requested to be nearby her neighbour and friend Betty. The two now live next door to one another in the new development.
Sarah said: “Betty is a good neighbour, she gets the papers for me in the morning and sometimes if I’m feeling up to it I walk along with her so it’s nice to have her so close by.”
Scottish Housing Minister, Paul McLennan, said: “I was delighted to visit Ferguslie Park to see the positive impact that the new homes are having on the community and hear firsthand from tenants about the impact it has had on their lives. These 101 new homes, backed by almost £7million of Scottish Government funding, will play a valuable role in boosting the affordable housing supply in Renfrewshire. Everyone deserves a warm and safe place to call home and these high-quality, energy efficient properties will help to meet the needs of the local community for generations to come.
“Good quality housing is essential to attract and retain people in our communities. We remain focused on delivering 110,000 affordable homes across Scotland by 2032 with at least 70% for social rent and 10% in our rural and island communities.”
Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Communities and Housing Policy Board, Councillor Marie McGurk, said: “The Tannahill community are very close-knit. It was so important to work collaboratively with them throughout the planning for the regeneration of their community to ensure they not only had new homes which were desirable and affordable, but that their sense of community would also be retained.
“It’s so rewarding to see the completed development and meet with residents to hear, first-hand, about the sense of pride they have in their new homes and the positive impacts the development has had on the community.”
Housing developer, AS Homes was contracted by Renfrewshire Council to build the new homes at Tannahill.
Paul Kelly, Managing Director of AS Homes, commented: “Seeing the positive reactions from the Tannahill Community to their new Ferguslie Park homes has been a source of immense pride for everyone at AS Homes. As a family-owned housebuilder, we deeply understand the importance of giving community members a voice in decisions that affect them.
“The success of Ferguslie Park is a testament to the close collaboration between AS Homes, Renfrewshire Council, and the Tannahill community. Together, we have built a thriving new community that truly meets the residents’ needs.”
The majority of tenants moved from the nearby Tannahill area next to St Mirren’s SMiSA Stadium, where work is now underway to demolish the vacant blocks. The area will then be redeveloped over the next few years as part of a wider community-led masterplan known as The Making of Ferguslie Park.
In addition to the Tannahill development, the council is also delivering a £100 million housing-led regeneration and renewal programme which will transform the quality of housing and the areas around it in eight locations across Paisley, Johnstone and Renfrew over the next decade.
Photo: (left to right) Cllr Marie McGurk, Council tenant Sarah Lappin and Scottish Housing Minister Paul McLennan
Photo Credit: Renfrewshire Council