The council has signed contracts with Dandara and Barratt, who are already on-site delivering 18 council homes in Shawfair and 53 council homes in Roslin respectively.

Work is also underway at various sites across the council, many of the homes meeting exacting ‘Passivhaus’ standards, meaning they offer exceptionally high levels of energy efficiency and low utility bills for residents. Indeed Midlothian’s Passivhaus house building project is recognised as the most ambitious in Scotland.

Council officers successfully attract grant funding from the Scottish Government to deliver this programme of council house construction. Additional funding for this new build programme is provided by the Housing Revenue Capital Account, funded by council house rents.

This progress has been achieved despite the considerable challenges presented by COVID-19.

The council remains committed to providing cost effective, energy-efficient, affordable council homes. A total of 85.5% of Midlothian Council housing is energy-efficient, as measured by the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing.

The council is working hard to improve that figure by, for example, installing new double-glazing, loft insulation and other measures in identified homes. It also has plans in place to meet a new raft of Scottish Government energy efficiency standards for our homes, which will include, for example, solar panels and wall insulation by the 2032 deadline.

Councillor Stephen Curran, Midlothian Council cabinet member for housing, said: “I am delighted to see Midlothian Council is on its way to have 1,000 council homes either built or under construction by the end of March 2022, meeting our five-year target.

“Our investment in housing has been one of the biggest by a Scottish local authority in a generation. Providing new accommodation like this helps to address the high level of housing need in our community.”