Affordable Housing in Dunbar

Written by Cllr Jacquie Bell and published in Letter to Editor, East Lothian News on Fri 28th Aug 2009

Dear Sir

Re Affordable Housing in Dunbar

This week I was delighted to visit the housing site at Brunt Court in Dunbar where a week of work had already made inroads into the task ahead.

Brunt Court is a 2.2 hectare Council owned site which sees the building of the first Council homes in the town since 1974. The site will be opened in phases and by Spring 2011 there will be 88 new homes - a mix of flats, houses and provision for those with special needs. All properties will be energy efficient.

Although many new homes have been built in Dunbar they have been on the new private residential estates. With the sale of Council properties over the years the town only has a stock of 513 council properties. There are around 500 families looking for an affordable home to rent in the town. Some have been waiting many years. I am regularly approached by people looking for a place to live.

Although the new properties will not solve the town's housing shortage overnight they are a step in the right direction.

The provision of quality affordable homes was a mainstay of the Liberal Democrat manifesto in 2007. It is one of the promises of "Our Contract with the People" that I will be continuing to work to bring about in the years ahead.

Yours faithfully

Cllr Jacquie Bell

Dunbar & East Linton Liberal Democrats