RENFREWSHIRE Council has announced plans to invest £113million in its housing stock over the next three years.

New homes will be built and existing properties will be upgraded.

Under the Housing Capital Investment Plan, £20m will be invested in 2021/22, with a further £43m spent in 2022/23 and £50m in 2023/24.

The aim is to ensure all council homes in Renfrewshire meet both the Scottish Housing Quality Standard and the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing.

The first year of the programme includes 101 new homes in Ferguslie Park, Paisley, and 39 in Auchengreoch Road, Johnstone, with work expected to begin on both projects shortly.

Further developments are planned for the Gallowhill and Foxbar areas of Paisley, where around 100 new homes will be built.

This builds on the development of 95 homes in Johnstone Castle and 80 in Bishopton. Both were delayed due to Covid but Bishopton is now finished and Johnstone Castle is nearing completion.

The plan also includes kitchen and bathroom upgrades, improved electrical wiring and heating systems and upgrades to multi-storey flats and sheltered housing.

Smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms will be upgraded so they meet the Scottish Government’s new standards, which come into effect in February 2022.

Councillor Marie McGurk, Renfrewshire’s communities, housing and planning convener, said: “This investment reinforces our commitment to provide high-quality, affordable, energy-efficient housing that will make people want to live and work here.

“The plan will continue our investment in improving our existing council housing while also creating new-build developments which meet modern-day needs and expectations.

“We are committed to helping Renfrewshire thrive as we emerge from the pandemic and this investment will help us do that by transforming our existing council homes and supporting our regeneration plans.”

The £113m Housing Capital Investment Plan follows on from a £100m Regeneration and Renewal Plan previously announced by Renfrewshire Council, which will create around 300 new-build homes and deliver improvements to existing housing in eight areas in Renfrew, Paisley and Johnstone, including Howwood Road, during its first phase.