Member Article

Husebuilder proposes new homes for Kinross site

A leading Scottish housebuilder is planning to invest in the redevelopment of a brownfield site in Kinross which will be the subject of talks at a council committee meeting next week.

Persimmon Homes East Scotland proposes an investment in the region of £15 million at the former Kinross High School site which could ultimately deliver 95 new homes with a quarter of the properties being allocated to ‘Entry Level’ purchasers.

The site, currently owned by Perth and Kinross Council, is recommended for approval by the Planners and is being presented at the committee meeting on 14th May for permission to demolish the former school and construct much needed new family homes.

Jim Kirkpatrick, Managing Director at Persimmon Homes East Scotland, said: “There are clear signs of increased confidence in the housing market across Scotland and we are working hard to deliver enough new homes to meet the needs of the growing number of people looking for homes across the Perth and Kinross area. We have been working on these plans for circa 2 years”.

“This development would obviously be good news to house buyers in Kinross, but in addition the spin-off benefits in terms of the number of jobs being created and the income this will generate for the local economy could be hugely significant. The development would help to support the town and assist in attracting and maintaining local services such as shops, restaurants and health facilities.

“We have worked closely with the council planning team to ensure that our proposal meets with their approval.

“We recognise that the site is within the towns conservation area and are pleased to confirm that we are willing to work with the Council to agree a suitable palette of materials including the appropriate re-use of existing stone and slate from the remaining school building.”

Further benefits for the community under the proposals include an investment of £727,000 which would contribute towards education provision for the surrounding area, maintaining Community Green Space and funding an upgrade of the play area.

Jim concluded: “Pupils and teachers vacated the original school building back in 2010 leaving the site vacant and subject to vandalism. If our plans are approved we look forward to moving onto site soon and making a positive contribution towards the regeneration of the area and supporting the sustainability of Kinross Town”.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Amandeep Garcha .