New homes in Mill o Mains

21st February saw the opening of the first new homes in Mill o Mains, replacing the old, cold homes which had come to the end of their useful lives. Housing Minister Keith Brown came to see the brand new houses which are bristling with solar panels and sun pipes and heavily insulated. They will be very warm, comfortable homes.
A partnership between Home Scotland and Dundee City Council produced a Masterplan; there was considerable consultation with the local tenants; the Scottish government provided funding to supplement Home Scotland's investment; and the end result is excellent.
Looming above are the tall blocks of flats which will soon disappear to make way for new homes. Mill O' Mains is turning into an attractive suburban village on the edge of the city, and the tenants and owners will have warm, energy efficient homes built to a very high standard.
Home Scotland is part of the very large Home Group, a not for profit housing association based south of the border whose Chief Executive is from Dundee. Although I am a big supporter of small community based housing associations, the big ones like Home and Sanctuary have their advantages too. They have been determined to ensure that local people have had their say in the design of the scheme, and they respond well to some very vocal criticism from people on points of detail as the work to build the scheme goes on.
There is still a long way to go before the transformation of Mill O'Mains is complete, but it is absolutely clear that Home Scotland and the City council are on the right track.
I was delighted to see that local residents have been charting the change by taking photographs of the various stages of demolition and construction. It's local history in the making and the next generations will be fascinated to see how their homes were created.