The first 19 homes at Dalhousie, Bonnyrigg, were handed over to the council’s housing team by Springfield Properties with a further six being completed this week. The two, three and four-bedroom homes are heated using clever technology that is better for the environment as it reduces reliance on gas boilers.

Midlothian Council’s cabinet member for housing, Councillor Stuart McKenzie, visited the site for a guided tour of one of the homes.

He said: “These will be lovely homes for families in Bonnyrigg and I do hope the new tenants enjoy them. The heat pumps eliminate the need to use gas to heat your home and the properties are all highly insulated making them really energy efficient, which is great news for tenants.”

Cllr McKenzie said a total of 70 homes are being delivered in three phases through a Design and Build contract with Springfield.

He added: “We’re really pleased private house builders, including Springfield, are supporting Midlothian Council’s commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030 and we would like to thank all of their team who worked hard on this.”

Springfield Partnerships business development manager, Sandra Lindsay, said: “Sustainability is at our core across Springfield and we’re regularly exploring new ways to make our homes more energy efficient. We’ve used Air Source Heating at over 50 of our developments now and are pleased to offer it at our One Dalhousie development for Midlothian Council.

“The pumps are a great way to help reduce our carbon footprint and are more efficient than traditional heating systems too which helps keep running costs low for residents.”

The remaining homes are under construction and will be completed in two phases ready for residents to move into for autumn.