Building work starts on Dundee redevelopment for Home Group
The groundwork for a new social housing development to help transform Mill O’ Mains has been welcomed by Dundee City Council’s housing convenor Mark Flynn.
The 48 homes are being developed by McTaggart Construction as part of a wider masterplan to complete the regeneration of Mill O’ Mains for Home Group in Scotland.
The homes are a mix of one, two, three and five-bedroom new build homes, with the development due to be completed by Autumn 2025.
Speaking at the official site launch, Mr Flynn, convener of Dundee City Council’s neighbourhood regeneration, housing and estate management committee, said: “Building affordable, easy to heat and safe homes in our communities is a key priority for the city council, so to see the start of another new development is an important step.
“More new homes for the revamped Mill O’ Mains reflects not only our affordable housing priorities but also meets the needs and expectations of increasing numbers of people who want to live in the area.
“Working in partnership with companies like McTaggart Construction is critical to making these types of developments of affordable new homes possible and delivering our aspirations and those of our communities.”
McTaggart Construction managing director Janice Russell said: “We’re delighted to be working with the city council and Home Group in Scotland to deliver quality affordable homes that will positively change lives and communities and having strong local partnerships and creating employment opportunities is an integral part of that.
“The development will help transform the area and we are engaging with the neighbourhood, the council and our partners to ensure it meets and exceeds their expectations.”
Elsa Brailey, head of development for Home Group in Scotland, said: “Ensuring we deliver the right homes in the right places lies at the heart of who we are as a housing association. We are really pleased with the homes we have delivered on the previous phases at Mill O’ Mains.
“And we’re really pleased to be working in partnership with McTaggart Construction on phase four. The whole development will help transform the area, and hopefully further enhance what is already a close-knit community.”
The city council’s development masterplan research highlighted the need to create better and safe connections to the rest of Dundee, and family housing with private gardens and overlooked parking on conventional streets in a neighbourhood defined by high quality, useable open space.
To achieve this, instead of building on the footprint of the old flats, roads have been realigned with new improved open spaces and more family housing provided.
Key objectives were to provide better design of housing and external landscaping; increased involvement of the community in the design of their homes and the renaming of streets; and employment opportunities.
The development has already provided opportunities for local suppliers through a recently hosted meet the buyer event and with the support of Business Gateway and Dundee City Council it aims to achieve over 50% of contracts to local business. Four new jobs for Dundee residents have been created with plans to support local employment and skills for young people in the pipeline.
McTaggart Construction’s CSR manager Ross Hammell said: “The support we have had has been exceptional to help us develop a strong regional supply chain and local procurement to not only provide best value for money but ensure that social housing has the potential to positively impact lives beyond the bricks and mortar.”
“There are exciting opportunities for material suppliers and the labour only trade supply chains as we expand our operations across Scotland and into our three new target areas, Dundee, Fife and Dumfries & Galloway.”
The family-owned firm aims to increase its local supply chain by 25% as part of its commitment to support the regional economy. Over the next few years, the specialist affordable home builder will deliver more than 1500 new affordable homes and is looking for new local SMEs to become their approved suppliers.
Mrs Russell, who was recognised for Outstanding Leadership in home building at this year’s Homes for Scotland Awards, added: “Laying the foundations of a successful construction business relies on many factors, not least having great staff and strong partnerships with local people, suppliers and SMEs.
“As we expand our business to new areas including Dundee and Fife, there are fantastic opportunities for SMEs, particularly for trades with experience in projects ranging from 10 to 100 units.”