Melville and Taylor Wimpey are celebrating the completion and handover of 56 affordable homes and apartments for social rent in Bilston, Midlothian.

The mix of two and three bedroom homes, as well as one and two bedroom apartments, are now fully occupied. All properties are energy efficient and are fitted with solar PV panels to provide financial help for tenants and environmental benefits for the planet.

It’s an exciting time when you have the opportunity to move into a new home and the last few tenants were very happy to pick up their keys.  “Being told we were getting a brand-new home in Bilston was the best news we could have asked for,” said Susan Crawford (pictured with Melville's Neil Edgar and Ellen Clark of Taylor Wimpey), who along with husband David was among the final Melville tenants to move into their new homes at Pentland Green. “We’re delighted with our house and any issues we’ve had have been resolved quickly. We’d just like to thank everyone involved from both Melville and Taylor Wimpey. We really couldn’t be happier.”

The completion of this development also marks a key milestone for Melville. “When we began working with Taylor Wimpey at Bilston in 2015, we had just 26 homes in the local area,” said Melville’s Development Manager Neil Edgar. “Eight years later we have 110 in total in Bilston, and that’s an additional 84 families that now have a modern, secure and affordable home thanks to this partnership.”

“None of these homes would have been possible without the help of the Scottish Government and Midlothian Council and I would like to thank them for their continued support. There’s a great deal of work still to be done but we will continue to play our part in tackling Midlothian’s lengthy social housing waiting list.”

Phil Cooper, Land and Planning Director at Taylor Wimpey East Scotland adds: “We are so pleased to have completed the delivery of 56 much-needed affordable homes for Melville Housing Association within Phase 2 of our Pentland Green development in Bilston. 

“We have enjoyed a successful partnership with Melville for around 14 years, where we have delivered a wide range of affordable homes across the Midlothian area, which now totals 105 including these properties here in Bilston.

“We strongly believe that a generous supply of good quality and energy efficient housing stock is a vital part of both our society and our economy, so we are very proud of the contribution these properties make to the sense of community that exists at our development at Bilston.