Planning approval for affordable Borders homes

Eildon Housing Association has welcomed planning approval for two Borders developments which will provide more than 90 new affordable homes.Working with Edinburgh-based Hart Builders, the Association will deliver 63 affordable homes in a second phase of development at Newtown St Boswells and at Huddersfield Street in Galashiels.The scale of demand for affordable housing within local Borders communities was underlined when more than 3,300 bids were received for the 53 homes built in the first phase of the Newtown St Boswells’ development. 85% of the homes went to local people across the Borders with four homes built to accommodate specific care needs – around 10% of Eildon’s homes are built to enable wheelchair access.Mr Istephan anticipates a similar level of demand for the proposed 63 homes in phase two of the development.Newtown St Boswells and Huddersfield Street developments contribute to Eildon’s commitment to deliver 388 affordable homes across nine sites in the Borders. This is part of the wider commitment by the Scottish Government to deliver 50,000 new affordable homes across Scotland by 2021.