Dozens of new council homes in Johnstone are almost complete, with tenants expected to be handed the keys within months.

The multi-million pound development in Auchengreoch Road will feature a total of 39 properties, made up of two, three and four-bedroom houses, as well as one and two-bedroom cottage flats, with some designed to be wheelchair accessible.

Delivered by McTaggart Construction, the energy-efficient homes have solar panels to help keep fuel bills down and contribute to Renfrewshire Council’s target to be ‘net-zero’ by 2030.

Councillor Marie McGurk, communities, housing and planning convener, said: “The quality of the new homes matches our ambitions for Renfrewshire to be recognised as a great place to live, work and invest.

The Gazette:

“The new homes are in a great location, close to the main road, bus routes and Milliken Park train station and within walking distance of several local primary and secondary schools.

“I was really impressed with the size of the homes and the attention to detail. They have been designed to meet the needs of our tenants for 21st-century living.”

The Auchengreoch Road site is the latest new-build investment by the council, with similar developments delivered in Johnstone Castle and Bishopton over the past two years.

More than 100 council homes are also being built in the Ferguslie Park area of Paisley.

The Gazette:

In addition, the site of the former Cochrane Castle Primary, in the Howwood Road area of Johnstone, has been earmarked as a preferred location for new homes.

It is one of the areas covered by the first phase of the council’s £100million housing regeneration and renewal programme, which will see improvements to existing council homes in eight locations across Johnstone, Paisley and Renfrew, with selected demolition and new-builds planned in some areas, over the next decade.

At a budget meeting earlier this month, councillors approved the biggest investment in Renfrewshire’s housing for a generation as they agreed a five-year capital investment plan worth £266m.

Councillor McGurk, who also visited the old Cochrane Castle Primary site, said: “It was interesting to hear more about the work being done to scope out the potential for new-builds at Howwood Road.

“That programme will look beyond the condition of the houses and will work with residents to consider how we can improve outdoor areas and create nicer places to live.”