We were very happy to attend the street naming ceremony for Rev Downie Wynd this week, our affordable housing instigated by Saline & Steelend Community Council.
A rolling hand-over of the fifty five new affordable homes is well underway, with the final dozen units due to be completed in summer 2019.
Kingdom Housing Association (KHA) and the local community are very pleased with the outcomes. The units have been designed to meet Housing for varying Needs, Secured by Design, KHA’s Design Standards and the Scottish Governments Silver Standards Specification for sustainability.
City Architecture Office have been involved in this project since 2009, so it’s great to see such a positive community driven housing project come in to use.
This handover marks the community’s main objectives for this housing being achieved:
Providing high quality, energy efficient, modern affordable housing which addresses high demand in the area.
Creating a successfully integrated place that is part of Saline.
Starting with the street to create a better living environment..
We originally conducted a housing needs consultation with Saline & Steelend Community Council and local residents, becoming a key priority in the Community Action Plan (CAP). Although it was outwith the settlement boundary, we identified a preferred site which is roughly two hectares. Fife Council then accepted the site to be brought into the local plan for social housing use.
A masterplan was designed and presented at a public event for the main themes of the CAP. The focal point of the masterplan is an attractive ‘village green’, with dwellings orientated to maximise solar gain and views. The principle was endorsed by Kingdom Housing Association and a scheme developed and planning approved.
City Architecture will continue to support the contractor until the handover of the final homes.
