North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie visited our Eden Woods development and met with local workers to celebrate this year’s Scottish Housing Day.

Scottish Housing Day, taking place on 14th September, is about celebrating the impact that housing makes to the lives of people and communities across the country, as well as communicating to people about their housing options.

This year, the focus is on sustainable housing – from tackling the climate emergency and introducing modern methods of construction, to the importance of affordability and supporting residents’ health and wellbeing.

The Eden Woods development in Guardbridge includes 100 new affordable homes and 334 private homes, with a mixture of two, three and four bedrooms. Mr Rennie was given a tour of the site and met with the local team to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the housing sector – as well as what more can be done to improve housing sustainability.

Willie Rennie MSP said:

“I am grateful to Persimmon Homes and their team for inviting me to see their development in Guardbridge, which is important to the local community. Getting such projects right is always challenging, and there is inevitably an impact on the people who live nearby. However I am glad that Persimmon has made the effort to engage with me and other local representatives.

“Housing is a fundamental need and yet there is a considerable lack of homes, especially council houses. This is a problem across the country, but an acute one in Fife. I see the impact that this has on my constituents and how it stops them from getting on in their lives.

“Ultimately we need more affordable, sustainable housing. The rising cost of energy makes this even more important as too many people are stuck in poorly-insulated homes. I look forward to continuing to work with Persimmon and seeing their contribution to meeting these challenges.”

James MacKay, Persimmon North Scotland Managing Director, said:

“It was brilliant to welcome Willie Rennie MSP to our Eden Woods development to mark this year’s Scottish Housing Day and show him the mixture of affordable and private homes that will benefit the Guardbridge community.

“New housing is vital to our economy and key to building vibrant, successful communities and Housing Day this year is all about sustainability. On average, our homes are around 30% more energy efficient than the existing national housing stock but we want to go further, which is why we’re committed to having net zero homes in operation by 2030.

“With the average price of a Persimmon home 18% below the average price of a new build in Scotland, we’re proud to be opening the door to home ownership for more families in Fife and across the country.”