The eight properties in The Glebe – which is the first new council housing in the village for more than 40 years - have underfloor heating and solar panels, as well as very high levels of insulation to ensure they meet very high standards of energy efficiency.
The attractive houses comprise of two one-bedroom and two two-bedroom cottage flats; two two-bedroom semi-detached houses; and one three-and one four-bedroom detached house.
John MacMillan, Service Manager, Integrated Facilities Management, said: “We are delighted to have our new build development at the Glebe, Thornhill shortlisted as a finalist in the Scottish Home Awards 2017. This rural project highlights Stirling Council’s commitment to providing affordable, high-quality and energy efficient homes in areas of greatest need.
“These units are the first council houses to be built in Thornhill for a number of decades, which really emphasises their importance to the local housing market. The Glebe has delivered eight bespoke homes designed to accommodate a range of household sizes and boasts some of the highest energy performance ratings possible for our stock (all high ‘Band A’ EPCs)”.
“Being shortlisted is a great achievement in itself and all staff involved in the planning, design, build and management of these homes should feel very proud. We look forward to the category winners being announced on the 15th June.”
Design for the new houses was decided on by a steering group whose membership included local residents and the houses have met the Silver Standard of the 2011 Building Regulations for both carbon dioxide emissions and energy required for heating.
Thornhill is completely bounded by natural open space, including Flanders Moss National Nature Reserve – the UK’s largest remaining natural raised peatbog. The untouched surroundings offer a scenic location for housing of the highest standard.
The Scottish Home Awards, sponsored by Ross & Liddell, has revealed a record high number of entries for this year’s event.
Andrew Cunningham, Director of Ross & Liddell, said: “With such a large range of housing in the competition, judging the very many entries this year has been a very positive experience allowing us to assess the many examples of innovation and excellence in design, customer service and marketing.
“The Scottish Home Awards is without a doubt the most highly regarded of house building competitions.”
The event is expected to be one of the highest attended ever and is being held on Thursday 15 June, 2017 at the Glasgow Hilton.