Mactaggart & Mickel Contracts, the contracting arm of the award winning family owned house builder, celebrated the start of 2012 with the official opening ceremony of the development project at Cherrybank, Newton Mearns on Friday (13 January 2012).
A £1.7 million affordable housing development of 15 flats was built on behalf of Link Group and funded by in partnership with the Scottish Government. Mactaggart & Mickel Contracts’ manager Jamie McLean, site managers Colin Thain and John Kelly, and finance director Paul McAninch, were joined by Link Group chief executive, Craig Sanderson, and East Renfrewshire Council’s housing convener, councillor Danny Devlin, to mark the handover of affordable homes.
Commenced in November 2010, Mactaggart & Mickel Contracts worked closely with Link Group, East Renfrewshire Council and the Scottish Government to design and build the 15 affordable properties consisting of two and three bedroom apartments with one flat specifically designed to meet the needs of a wheelchair user.
Concern over housing in the area has been growing over recent years. The council’s 2005 study on housing need and demand highlighted the region as an area of acute housing pressure. With high land prices and low turnover of council properties the project by Link and Mactaggart & Mickel Contracts will provide a much needed supply of affordable homes.
Mactaggart & Mickel Contracts manager Jamie McLean said: “Mactaggart & Mickel Group has been developing land in the Newton Mearns community for a great number of years and our latest contract completion for Link Group demonstrates our commitment to the community’s on-going success.
“We are delighted to work with Link and the local council to deliver high quality affordable housing that will benefit residents for years to come.”
Link Group chief executive, Craig Sanderson, said: “These high quality flats will contribute to alleviating the need for affordable homes in Newton Mearns and we look forward to continuing to work with the local community and East Renfrewshire Council as the development takes shape.”
East Renfrewshire Council’s housing convener, Councillor Danny Devlin, said: “East Renfrewshire has the highest house prices in Scotland and there’s a real danger of people being priced out of the market which has a knock-on effect for our local communities. Making local housing more affordable for local people can only benefit our communities in East Renfrewshire in the short and long term.”
During the project Mactaggart & Mickel Contracts also delivered a new church hall built specifically for the Eastwood Gospel Trust, which is in full use having opened at the end of 2011.