New affordable housing development unveiled at Stracathro estate

A new family housing development in Angus – built as part of an affordable housing scheme pioneered by rural landowners – has been officially unveiled by cabinet secretary for social justice, housing and local government, Shona Robison MSP.Housing secretary Shona Robison & Hugh Campbell Adamson at a tree-planting ceremony at new Stracathro affordable housing developmentWith the assistance of the Scottish Government’s Rural Housing Fund, Stracathro Estate built six new three-bedroom houses which opened to tenants late last year.Hugh Campbell Adamson, owner of Stracathro Estate, was galvanised to build more new affordable housing following the threatened closure of the local primary school more than four years ago.The six houses, built at a cost of £1.15 million, including the value of the agricultural land, were part funded by a £530,000 Rural Housing Fund grant. The houses were designed by a local architect to silver standard insulation and were upgraded to fit in with the local vernacular architecture, including slate roofs and partial stone cladding.Communal ground source heating, which was grant aided under the Non-domestic RHI scheme, was also installed.The houses were advertised by a local estate agent in the summer of 2021 at a rent of £475/month (commercial rents in the area for a similar property are around £700/month). The development attracted 420 applications, with successful tenants moving in in November 2021.Stracathro has a total of 37 houses and cottages on the estate. Since 2000, the estate has invested £2m into its housing stock, providing full central heating (through communal systems where practical), loft and underfloor insulation and double glazing.