Ten new affordable homes are handed over at Dulnain Bridge

An affordable housing development at Dulnain Bridge has reached a key milestone with the official handover of the properties.

New residents will shortly begin to move into their new homes which have been built by Highland Council and the Highland Housing Alliance (HHA).

A range of two to four-bedroom homes have been provided across the site.

The council said the demand for the development has attracted a 'wide demographic', providing much needed social and mid-market homes in the strath.

Councillor Glynis Campbell Sinclair, the council's housing and property committee chair, said: “Affordable and accessible housing is a key priority in the council’s programme.

"The completion of 10 new homes in Dulnain Bridge makes our commitment to delivering affordable, sustainable and energy efficient social and mid-market housing a reality for those that will make the village their new home.

"This will give people the opportunity to prosper and grow and in turn support wider economic growth."

“Working in partnership with HHA is key to enabling housing priorities to be met and we look forward to continuing that journey as further new build and redevelopment opportunities arise.”

The council acquired the site in 2019 and oversaw the development and delivered the new housing development in partnership with Scottish Government, the City Region Deal and HHA.

The Dulnain Bridge development has 10 homes of mixed tenures, helping to address the acute demand for much-needed homes in the area.

The main contractor was Aviemore-based Allan Munro Construction.

A council spokesperson said: "The appointment of a local contractor helps to support the local supply chain and workforce as much as possible.

"They have built four two-bed semi-detached houses, one three-bed bungalow, one four-bed bungalow for social rent and an additional four three-bed semi-detached homes for mid-market-rent."

The four mid-market rent family homes offer rental rates which are lower than private market but higher than social rent levels.

HHA chief executive Gail Matheson said: “The completion of four new homes within the Cairngorms National Park has attracted significant interest, highlighting the strong demand for housing in the area.

"We are currently going through the allocation process for these new homes and are looking forward to welcoming the new tenants.”

The Scottish Government helped to boost the delivery of the Dulnain Bridge development with a £965,060 grant.

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