Below you will find details on the development size & location as well as site plans, house styles, photographs, internal walk through videos, drone footage and a 360° walkthrough where available.
The Association has acquired the site at Bridgehousehill Road from Connect Modular on 31 March 2022. We have now entered into a Design & Build Contract with them to deliver 101 new homes for rent.
Works commenced on site late July 2022.
This modular house development is the first project of this type to be undertaken by the Association and the largest modular construction project for Connect Modular with a Registered Social Landlord(RSL). There will be a mixture of 2,3 & 4 bedroom general needs houses, together with a number of amenity bungalows and 5 wheelchair designed bungalows.
The Association has been working with Connect Modular over the last 18 months on design proposals to deliver affordable housing for rent on a site at Bridgehousehill Road, Kilmarnock.
Connect Modular had approached us with a site which was in their ownership, with a view to selling the site to Cunninghame Housing Association and us entering into a Design & Build Contract for them to construct the new homes.
DEVELOPMENT
Bridgehousehill Road
Completion Date
August 2024
AREA
East Ayrshire
Bridgehousehill Phase 1 Complete
On the 1st August 2023, exactly one year after the sod cutting ceremony to mark the start of this development, Cunninghame Housing Association(CHA) and Connect Modular were delighted to host Scottish Government Minister for Housing, Paul McLennan MSP along with Provost Jim Todd and welcome CHA’s new residents to phase 1 of CHA’s first volumetric-modular, affordable housing development at Shortlees, Kilmarnock.
The properties are manufactured off site by Connect Modular and the Minister began his day with a tour of their manufacturing facility in Cumnock, East Ayrshire. The tour provided insight into the efficient manufacturing process in the production of these new homes to exceptional quality for Cunninghame Housing Association.
The Minister then travelled the short distance to the Shortlees site where he was joined by Provost, Jim Todd, and the first new residents for the official handover of homes from Connect Modular to Cunninghame Housing Association. The momentous occasion marked a significant milestone for all who have been instrumental in the project. The pupils of Shortlees Primary School have also designed new home cards to welcome CHA’s residents to the new development.
“Everyone deserves to live in a warm, safe and affordable home and Connect Modular’s innovative approach will help us to achieve this.“The partnership between Cunninghame Housing Association and Connect Modular, supported by £10.5 million of Scottish Government funding, will deliver 101 affordable new homes at Shortlees. This means that more households will live in a home that meets their needs.
Partnerships like this will help us to deliver at least 110,000 affordable homes across Scotland by 2032. At least 70% of these will be for social rent and 10% will be in remote, rural and island communities.”.
Paul McLennan, Housing Minister
“Getting the bungalow has given me a new lease of life and given me my independence back; in my old property I was unable to get upstairs for the last 20 months. I’m delighted with the offer and the house is beautiful.”Miss Brennan, One of The First Residents To Receive Her Keys
Miss Brennan was previously living in a private let with her son Gary (26); this was a three bed, semi-detached home and the stairs in the property were causing her great difficulty due to a medical condition, to the point she could not use the upper level of the house. She was put forward for a ground floor property by her Occupational Therapist. Miss Brennan had been on the housing waiting list for approximately 18 months before receiving this offer of a new, accessible home.
Cunninghame Housing Association is delighted to bring innovation to support the Scottish Government’s target of delivering 110,000 new homes by 2032.
“The Association is committed to delivering high quality homes for rent and it’s been exciting to see this fantastic modular housing development take shape. The handover of these first completed houses to the new tenants is an important milestone in the delivery of 101 new homes with a mix of two, three and four bedroom general needs houses, together with 10 amenity bungalows and 5 bungalows designed for wheelchair users being provided in an area where there is a high demand for housing. All properties are being allocated to applicants selected from the East Ayrshire Council common housing register. The site is already proving to be very popular with waiting list applicants.”.Linda Anderson, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Cunninghame Housing Association
We’re excited to continue our successful partnership with Connect Modular through to the Summer of 2024 when the site will be fully complete. The project has benefitted from significant investment from the Scottish Government and this invaluable ongoing support allows us to carry on providing quality new homes as we continually strive to make our communities better places.
The collaboration between Cunninghame Housing Association and Connect Modular represents a shared commitment to addressing the pressing need to deliver affordable housing quickly and efficiently. The completion of the first houses is just the beginning of a wider initiative that will ultimately deliver 101 purpose-built modular homes, positively impacting the lives of many individuals and families.”
Others in attendance included the Cunninghame Housing Association Board of Management and the development team who overseen the construction of the site. The family of East Ayrshire Council’s former Provost, the late Jane Darnbrough, whom the street was named after, also attended the opening ceremony and received a bouquet of flowers in memory of Jane.
Bridgehousehill Phase 1 - July 2023
Check out the drone flyover footage of the Bridgehousehill Development taken in July 2023
3 Bed Amenity Semi-Detached Home
3 bedroom, mainstream, semi detached house.
2 Bed Amenity Semi-Detached Home
2 bedroom, mainstream, semi detached house.
2 Bed Detached Amenity Bungalow
2 bedroom, detached, amenity bungalow.
2 Bed Disabled Amenity Home
2 bedroom wheelchair adapted bungalow.
Bridgehousehill Phase 1 Opening Ceremony August 1st 2023
Modular Construction
CHA has never delivered a modular housing project before and this is a first for us, and it is also the largest modular construction project Connect Modular has undertaken for a Registered Social Landlord.
The new homes will be built off-site, in Connect Modular’s premises in Cumnock within a controlled factory environment. The houses will be built in the factory with kitchens, bathrooms, plumbing and electrics all pre-fitted. The houses are then split into modules, transported to site, and craned into position for the final 10% of the work to be completed.
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Connect Modular to deliver this important development of 101 new modular homes. This is the first modular construction project undertaken by Cunninghame Housing Association and the largest modular low-rise housing development in Scotland. We are excited to be part of this innovative and efficient method of construction. We recognise the significant environmental benefits of the build and that the units will be built in Connect Modular’s Ayrshire factory, to a very high standard, and delivered to site. With the support of our Strategic partners, East Ayrshire Council and the Scottish Government, we are able to provide these highly sought after affordable new homes in this popular area of Kilmarnock”.Frank Sweeney, Chief Executive Officer, Cunninghame Housing Association
Programme
Acquisition – The Association acquired the site from Connect Modular on 31 March 2022.
Site start– work commenced on site on 27 July 2022 with some advance work (setting up site compound, site strip underway) carried out in advance of the formal site start. Contract period- works are programmed to be on site for 122 weeks.
“It was a pleasure to attend the sod cutting ceremony on 1st August at Bridgehousehill Road, marking the start of a new range of house types being built in the area. It will be interesting to see the different approach being taken to building houses and I very much look forward to seeing them completed, which I am sure will be to a very high standard”East Ayrshire Council Provost Jim Todd
Housing mix and allocation
The site will deliver a total of 101 new build homes for rent.
The housing mix comprises a mixture of two, three and four bedroom general needs houses, together with 10 amenity bungalows and 5 bungalows designed for wheelchair users.
All properties will be allocated to applicants selected from the East Ayrshire Council common housing register. The site is situated in an area of high demand therefore we expect the new homes to be sought after.
“It’s fantastic to see this development underway which I know will provide high quality affordable homes within the local community and make a real and lasting difference to the lives of the new residents. We are proud of having delivered 111,750 affordable homes since 2007 with over 78,000 for social rent and these new homes will contribute towards our ambitious target of delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, of which 70% will be for social rent and 10% in remote, rural and island communities These 101 new homes for social rent, supported by £10.5 million of Scottish Government investment, are being built to a high standard using off-site construction methods. I recently visited the Connect Modular factory in Cumnock to see the quality for myself and I’m pleased people will benefit from these new homes.”Housing Secretary Shona Robison
Project Costs and funding
This £17m project is being delivered by Cunninghame Housing Association with the support of the Scottish Government and East Ayrshire Council.
Our strategic partners have committed significant funding to enable work to proceed with £10.5m in Housing Association Grant from the Scottish Government and the Association contributing £7m in private finance.
Design Team
The Association has appointed TCS Construction Consultants as our Employers Agent.
Connect Modular have appointed Robert Potter & Partners as the Architect who designed the new houses and their Structural Consultant for the project is Dougall Baillie Associates.
The Contractor
Connect Modular are an Ayrshire based company and are an industry leader in the manufacture of modular homes. We are looking forward to embarking on this journey with them and to taking handover of our first modular homes.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to deliver a modular project at this scale. This project is a clear demonstration of Cunninghame, Scottish Government and the Council’s confidence in the ability of modular construction to provide better quality homes, to reduce construction waste and emissions, and to enable tenants to move in to their much-needed homes faster.”Jennifer Higgins, Managing Director of Connect Modular
BUILDING COMMUNITIES IN East Ayrshire
Connect Modular Press Release
A press release regarding the development project has been issued by our project partner: Connect Modular. You can read all about it by clicking the button.
Bridgehousehill Opening Ceremony July 2022
Site Layout
Site Plan
Approved Cross Section
Approved Plot Levels
Map Location
Information on house styles and floor plans, as well as some further information on the development can be found on the following document: