The new occupants have settled in nicely to their new homes in Gilbert Burns Place, Mauchline.

Construction of the 10 houses, by Jean Armour Burns Houses Ltd, was made possible when they approached the council asking for assistance with the responsibility of the existing residences and the adjacent site.

East Ayrshire Council swiftly bought the sites to protect existing residents and built the new accommodation with older and disabled occupants in mind.

The development was managed by Atrium Initiatives on behalf of the council and were built in partnership with McTaggart Construction, a larger private housing developer, and supported by funding from the Scottish Government.

Jill Taylor, Gilbert Burns Place resident and former warden and caretaker of the Jean Armour Burns Houses said: “The houses are just fantastic. It felt like home straight away and I was able to decorate it the way I wanted it.

“The houses are so easy to heat. I haven’t had cold feet since I moved in, in December. I couldn’t be happier with my new home.” Mrs Taylor was presented flowers by Councillor Alan Brown who joined her at her new home along with Council Leader Douglas Reid; Councillor Neil McGhee; Councillor David Shaw; Christine Renwick, Housing Manager; Ed Taylor, Princes Foundation; Jim O’Neil, Chair Atrium Homes; Robert Stevenson, Jean Armour Homes; John Allan, Contracts Manager and Gary Climson, Director, McTaggart Construction; and Jeff Bell, Scottish Government.

Mr Brown, Spokesperson for Strategic Planning, Management and Resources, said: “The new Gilbert Burns Place homes are an excellent addition to Mauchline.

“Robert Potter and Partners of Ayr did a fantastic job with the design and they fit in perfectly with the original Jean Armour Burns Houses.

“The new houses on Skeoch Road are a great example of what the Council hoped to accomplish with the Strategic Local Programme which aims to provide new homes across East Ayrshire to promote regeneration and support older people to live in their homes.” The Skeoch Road build is one of many projects funded by the Scottish Government for East Ayrshire. The £10millon fund is supporting the construction of 200 affordable new homes which are all due for completion this month.