An £11.4 million affordable housing development is on the cards for Dalbeattie.
Cunninghame Housing Association is working on plans to build almost 60 homes on the outskirts of the town across from the learning campus.
Dalbeattie Community Council chairman, Robert McGoldrick, gave the proposal a cautious welcome.
He said: “I think we would all like to see more homes in Dalbeattie but it has to be properly thought out.
“There will be issues with road access, facilities for local children, water, sewage and electricity.
“When the school is going in or going out there can be a 40 minute wait – and the crossroads has five crossing points, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen before.
“If people are going to come into the town, where are they going to work?
“There are no big employers in Dalbeattie other than the sawmill and Wilsons.”
The plans are revealed in a report for Tuesday’s meeting of the council’s economy and resources committee.
It states that Cunninghame would like to build 58 social rented homes at Port Road, with a mix of houses and bungalows as well as two wheelchair accessible properties.
Demand for such properties is deemed to be high.
The council has been allocated £106 million between 2021 and 2026 through the Scottish Government’s resource planning assumption (RPA).
And the report reveals the Dalbeattie development would require £5.68 million from the RPA.
Councillors will be asked to include the proposal in the local authority’s strategic housing investment plan (SHIP), which sets out the council’s housing priorities.
A report by strategic housing team leader Jamie Little states: “While the SHIP prioritises development on brownfield sites to further support the council’s climate emergency objectives, developing homes at this location still provides environmental benefits.
“Living directly opposite the school will enable pupils to walk and cycle, the town centre is around 600m away with access to shops, employment and services, while Craignair Health Centre is located on the boundary of the development.
“Inclusion of this pipeline project will help the region to fully utilise the RPA allocations over the next five
years.”
Mr Little’s report also includes an update for Cunninghame’s plans for 21 affordable homes in Castle Douglas.
The report reveals there is currently a £250,000 shortfall for the project and members will be asked to provide that from the council’s town centre living fund.
