NEW affordable housing to be built in Clydebank within the next few months will have to be built to a higher design standard than anywhere else in Scotland.

This comes after West Dunbartonshire Council became the first council in Scotland to introduce the stringent criteria on energy efficiency, kitchen and bathroom design, and accessibility in properties.

The 'West Dunbartonshire Design Standard’ was approved by councillors last Wednesday and will apply to all new build houses supported by the Scottish Government’s Affordable Housing Supply Programme.

This includes dozens of new council houses to be built in Second Avenue early next year after an additional £2.16million was secured from the Scottish Government for this project.

Once completed, it is planned that the 40 properties will provide a mixture of one and two bedroom flats, three bedroom semi-detached houses, four bedroom townhouses and a wheelchair accessible bungalow.

Kilpatrick Ward Councillor Lawrence O’Neill, vice-convener of housing, said: “I’m looking forward to work getting underway in Clydebank next year. Not only will this design standard create homes that residents can be proud of, but the energy efficiencies they offer will also see tenants saving substantial amounts of money on their household bills.

“Having the support of local housing associations will be crucial in implementing this new design standard for affordable housing and I’m looking forward to working together as we all aim to build a better West Dunbartonshire.” By agreeing to stick to these high standards when building new houses, the council will unlock thousands of pounds of additional funding from the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government provides £4,000 of additional funding for each property which meets these greener standards, as these properties release less carbon dioxide than the average home, and use less energy to heat the rooms and water supply, allowing significant savings to be made on household bills.

David McBride, convener of housing, said: “I am delighted that we are leading the way when it comes to introducing a standard for designing modern, fit-for-purpose housing which meets the needs of our residents. By setting out a design standard which all affordable housing needs to adhere to will have an extremely positive impact on the whole area.

“We are committed to improving local housing and this is another step forward in delivering this for West Dunbartonshire for many years to come.” Since 2013, and 25 years on from the last new council homes built in the area, West Dunbartonshire Council has invested over £8million in providing 121 new build council homes in Clydebank, Haldane, Bellsmyre and Brucehill. This has included over £4million in grant funding from the Scottish Government.