Official Sod Cutting Ceremony for 14-Home Affordable Housing Development for North Ayrshire Council
27 February 2024
Connect Modular has been appointed by North Ayrshire Council to build 14 new affordable modular homes across four sites at Laburnum Avenue, Beith and Newhouse Drive Kilbirnie.
The new £3m development proposals – supported by a £1m Scottish Government Grant – will deliver fourteen modern, energy-efficient new homes (seven in each town) including a mixture of two-bedroom amenity bungalows and two-bedroom general needs homes.
To mark the official commencement of works on site, a sod cutting ceremony was held on Tuesday 27th February in Newhouse Drive, Kilbirnie, with the official duties carried out by North Ayrshire Council Provost Anthea Dickson. During the event, pupils Rhys, Hayley and Amelia from neighbouring Primary School, St Bridget’s, recited poetry about what home means to them, after winning a writing competition set by Connect Modular.
This is the third affordable housing project Connect Modular has delivered for North Ayrshire Council in recent years, and the modular construction specialist is pleased to be partnering with the local authority once again on this important regeneration project.
Acting CEO, Richard Reid commented “It is fantastic to be working with North Ayrshire Council again, this time delivering much needed affordable housing on recently cleared sites in Beith and Kilbirnie. We are delighted at how North Ayrshire Council’s housing team has enthusiastically embraced modular construction. Our innovative approach provides the optimum solution to turnaround derelict infill sites swiftly and with minimal disruption to surrounding neighbours.”
The previous flatted blocks were demolished after being identified for improvement as part of North Ayrshire Council’s Estate Based Regeneration Programme.
Councillor Tony Gurney, Cabinet Member for Green Environment and Economy, said this was another step towards delivering on the Council’s commitment to build more than 1,600 new homes for affordable rent across North Ayrshire.
He added: “We are delighted to see work start on these new homes in Kilbirnie and Beith. These modern, energy-conscious properties will help regenerate the local areas, giving the residents homes to be proud of.”
The modular construction method lends itself particularly well to urban infill projects of this nature, since activity on site is greatly reduced. With 90% of works completed off-site, there is minimal disruption to surrounding residents and road networks. Houses are delivered to site from Connect Modular’s manufacturing facility in Cumnock, complete with kitchens, bathrooms, internal plumbing and electrics, therefore overcoming the otherwise challenging logistics of small gap sites. This volumetric modular solution also offers programme certainty and delivers high quality homes in a way that minimises waste.
