Council bosses agreed to build fifty more units of its ‘ambitious and climate-conscious housing’ across the area.

The administration committed to build 1,625 new homes in every part of North Ayrshire by 2027 – an increase of 50 new homes on the previous plan – when the Council’s Cabinet met last Tuesday to approve the five-year Strategic Housing Investment Plan.

More than 500 new homes are already completed and around 350 currently in the process of being built.

The new SHIP for 2022-2027 includes the provision of an additional 50 new units to contribute further to the Estate Based Regeneration Programme, which aims to breathe new life into local communities.

Cllr Jim Montgomerie, Cabinet Member for Green New Deal and Sustainability, said: “It’s not just about building new homes – it’s about building them in a way which helps transform communities, in a way which is affordable, and supports our commitments to tackle climate change and to community wealth building.

“Our new homes will benefit from a range of sustainable measures such as small scale district heating schemes.

By the end of this financial year, we will have installed almost 400 new build homes with solar PV panels, with a further 1,100 planned.

“We have also installed solar PV panels on the roofs of 437 existing council houses, saving tenants approximately £115 per year on energy bills.”