Kilsyth plea for extra housing
CONCERNS over the dwindling number of council houses in the Kilsyth area have surfaced once more.
Central Scotland MSP Jamie Hepburn has written to bosses at North Lanarkshire Council to express his concern that plans to bolster housing stocks have not yet come to fruition.
The move comes after the Chronicle reported on December 9 that the council had ruled out developing the former site of Burngreen Lodge Residential Home for this purpose due to a high risk of flooding.
Mr Hepburn said: "A council house building programme is long overdue for the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth area. This recent setback presents a further delay in building much needed high-quality, affordable housing for the area.
"It is of course reasonable that, if the Burngreen Lodge site is susceptible to flooding, the scheduled construction programme for that area may no longer be viable. However, it is clear that Kilsyth still needs new socially-rented accommo-dation and I call upon the council to find a new suitable site elsewhere in the town." Planning officers are currently considering a number of other sites for development in Cumbernauld and Kilsyth.
The MSP also voiced his concern about a related housing issue which he feels is having an adverse affect on the quality of care provided to elderly people in Kilsyth.
"At the Craig-en-Goyne Care Home, which was meant to serve as the replacement to Burngreen Lodge, there is currently a significant excess in demand."
He continued: "I have written to North Lanarkshire Council to request that provisions be put in place to meet the demand that exists for residential elderly care in the area and to ask that the construction of a new local authority care home in Kilsyth is actively considered."
An NLC spokesman stressed that their aim is to support people to live in their own homes for as long as possible.
He said: "We are more than confident of meeting the needs of elderly people through a range of services that are already provided."
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Sunday 05 February 2012
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