With a £200,000 grant to the Aberfeldy Development Trust for the construction of new affordable homes SSE Renewables are helping provide affordable housing and a sustainable future for the town
Aberfeldy Development Trust (“the Trust”) have been successful in securing a £200,000 grant from the SSE Renewables Griffin and Calliachar Community Fund to support the building of new community-owned affordable housing in Aberfeldy.
The recent Community Action Plan for Aberfeldy, Dull and Weem underlined the fundamental importance of bringing more affordable housing to the community. With Highland Perthshire seeing a fall in population in the latest census (including by 5 percentage points in Aberfeldy itself) change and investment is needed.
This significant contribution from SSE Renewables will be part of the well over £1 million necessary to construct houses on the former Slaughterhouse site to the west of the town. It will also aid the Trust in seeking additional funding from the Scottish Government Rural and Islands Housing Fund, an existing Trust funder along with the Scottish Land Fund.
The Trust are also now the owners of the site and have renamed it to ‘Corran Rèile’ which translates to Railway Crescent. The design process has identified the possibility of 6 affordable units of varying sizes (from 2 to 3 bedroom) filling a crucial gap in housing supply in the town. It is currently only at pre-application stage and will be followed by a formal planning application, including public consultation with that.
Gill Steele, Chair of the Trust, said: “We are very grateful to the SSE Renewables Griffin and Calliacher Fund for supporting this project. With the land now in the hands of the community and the planning process underway the vision of new affordable housing for the community is getting closer.
With the continued support of Perth and Kinross Council and our partners in the Community Housing Trust we are working as hard as we can to fund and deliver these crucial homes for our community as quickly as possible.”
Cassie McGunnigle, Community Investment Manager at SSE said: “At SSE Renewables, we are committed to supporting projects that create lasting, positive change in the communities where we operate. Affordable housing is a vital foundation for thriving rural communities and we are proud to support the Aberfeldy Development Trust in turning this vision into reality. This project is a powerful example of how community led initiatives can help address pressing local needs and build a stronger, more sustainable future.”