Scotland’s leading housing, care and property-management group welcomed Housing Minister Paul McLennan to Edinburgh to meet the tenant who moved into the landmark home.
Wheatley Group comprises four social landlords, including Scotland’s largest in Wheatley Homes Glasgow, as well as Lowther, Wheatley Homes East, Wheatley Homes South and Loretto Housing Association.
The Housing Minister visited West Craigs in the capital to meet tenant Kiera Mccaffrey, who moved into one of the Lowther homes last week.
Wheatley is building 238 homes for social rent and 187 for mid-market rent within the prime location in the west of the capital as part of an £80million development.
Housing Minister Paul McLennan said: “I am delighted to have been invited to help Wheatley Group celebrate the completion of its 7000th affordable new-build home.
“I was previously here in August 2023 when work was underway so it is great to be back to be shown around Kiera’s new home and see some of the other 425 affordable homes supported by £41.6m of Scottish Government Affordable Housing Supply Programme funding.”
Earlier this year, Wheatley Group was named as the UK’s biggest builder of social housing over the past decade.
Steven Henderson, Chief Executive of Wheatley Group, said: “Our commitment to making homes and lives better remains unwavering. We are proud of the positive impact we have made in our communities so far and ensuring that even more people have access to safe, affordable housing in prime locations.
“Our collaboration with Scottish Government and local authorities has been instrumental in reaching this milestone. The support and funding provided have enabled us to deliver a mix of high-quality social and mid-market homes that meet the needs of our communities. We look forward to continuing this partnership and building even more homes in the future.”
The 7000 homes include over 5500 properties built for social rent in the west, east and south of Scotland. The first home built for social rent by Wheatley was in the south side of Glasgow in 2007.
Around 1500 homes have also been built for mid-market rent, which are for people with a gross annual household income of up to £46,000 and who do not have priority for social housing.
Kiera, a 19-year-old civil engineering student, was keen to move into the estate for the extra space in the property, and for the good transport links to her university and her part-time job in the city centre.
Her home includes low-carbon features such as solar panels, high levels of insulation and energy-efficient boilers, as well as electric car charging points. These features will help tenants with their bills and cut the carbon footprint.
Kiera said: “My new home is great. I’ve still got a few boxes to unpack, but I’m really pleased with the property. The location is so handy. It’s really close to the tram stop, so perfect for getting into the city centre.”
Fraser Lynes, Managing Director of Cruden, added: “Delivering 7000 homes is an incredible achievement for Wheatley Group and we are delighted that this milestone has been reached at West Craigs – a fantastic new neighbourhood in Scotland’s capital.
“Cruden is very proud to continue our strong relationship with Wheatley Group as we deliver these desperately needed, sustainable new homes. With Edinburgh in the midst of a housing emergency, this large-scale project is a crucial addition to the city, delivering homes packed with innovative, energy-saving and accessible features to meet the diverse needs of tenants for decades to come.
“The West Craigs masterplan has been thoughtfully designed with green open space, parklands, and a host of important new public amenities, creating a vibrant new community for people to live, play and thrive.”
