Plans for a £16.3 million affordable housing development are on the cards for Kirkcudbright.
Loreburn Housing Association is looking to build 62 “general needs homes” on land at The Merse that was the site of a 19th century brick and tile works.
The proposal is revealed in a report for next week’s meeting of the council’s economy and resources committee.
Loreburn is hoping to add four developments to the local authority’s strategic housing investment plan (SHIP).
One of the four is for The Merse site.
The council has £82 million available to support affordable housing developments between now and 2026 through the Scottish Government’s resource planning assumption (RPA).
Loreburn is looking for £10 million of that for the Merse development.
The site is listed in the local development plan as having space for up to 70 units but its previous industrial use means there are “some archaeological issues that require evaluation/mitigation to be carried out”.
The proposal would be Kirkcudbright’s biggest housing development for several years.
In 2012, planning permission was granted for Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership to build 36 homes on land previously occupied by the town’s creamery.
The report for members says there is “high” demand for affordable homes in the town.
Kirkcudbright Provost Lesley Garbutt said: “Our concern would be the infrastructure of Kirkcudbright, such as whether the health centre could handle more patients.
“The implications for the schools – as far as I know the primary school is almost at capacity.
“This would be my concern with so many houses. That aspect needs looked into before they give us another 62 families.
“I think there will probably always be the need for housing in the town but there are infrastructure issues that come with that.”
The report also reveals progress on a number of other developments on the SHIP.
And work on Wheatley Homes South (previously DGHP)’s 47 home development in Springholm is due to start in the current financial year.
