Site:
The site borders Main Street, Stewart Street and King Square in West Calder. This popular village is well-situated for rail and road access to Livingston, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
There is a range of house types in West Calder, with some private new build on the fringes. The site borders the historic village centre and so an archaeological investigation was required before site start. Unfortunately this revealed nothing of interest!
Former Use:
The site was formerly occupied by the Gowanlea Old Peoples Home. This was demolished by West Lothian Council before sale of the site to WLHP.
Design
The development maintains the street frontage on Main Street. This allows for the required parking space and flat entrances to be off-street around the back. The two- and three-storey blocks are of timber-frame construction, incorporating high levels of energy efficiency and excellent noise insulation
Housing Mix:
2 bedroom 4 person cottage flats 2 general needs
2 bedroom 4 person main door flats 2 one w/chair standard & one amenity
1 bedroom 2 person flats 5 general needs
2 bedroom 3 person flats 11 inc. three to elderly amenity std
Housing Need
People in West Calder have had to wait nearly seven years for a house, on average. Expressed housing need in West Calder was for one- and two-bedroomed properties. The constraints of the site required a flatted solution, and thus the housing mix as shown above.
Rents
Rents range from £58 to £67 per week (2007/08), plus service charges.
Programme
Site Start: 3rd April 2006
Practical Completion: 26th March 2007
Cost:
Total Project Cost: £1.960m
Funding:
Communities Scotland: £1.152m
Dunfermline Building Soc: £ 0.554m
West Lothian Council: £ 0.254m
Design and Construction Team
Hart Builders (Edinburgh) Ltd
ASSIST Architects, Glasgow
Towler & Hyslop, QS, Glasgow
Harley Haddow, Consulting Engineers, Edinburgh
Sentinel Clerk of Works, Milton Bridge
