Robertson Finavon Street affordable housing

Finavon Street Housing, Dundee

This is all part of the hugely positive regeneration of Fintry and it really is long-awaited for the people here. The properties will be a valuable, welcomed addition to the houses that are already here.”

Ron Neave | Chairman of Fintry Community Council

Completed

75%

Local spend within 20 miles

96%

SME spend

Silver

Considerate Constructors Award

Delivering affordable, energy efficient homes.

Robertson Partnership Homes has redeveloped the Fintry housing estate in Dundee to create 60 new homes to enhance affordable housing in the area.

Tying in with the wider regeneration of Dundee and Tayside, the housing aims to enhance the profile of the local area and improve the existing urban realm for the community in the Fintry housing estate.

The homes were designed with a focus on lowering energy bills for residents and reducing the issue of fuel poverty in the community, whilst supporting the broader sustainability goals of decreasing carbon dioxide emissions.

Procured via SCAPE Scotland, the Finavon Street development is expected to make a significant positive impact locally.

Reducing fuel poverty through sustainable design

The design team took a ‘fabric first’ approach. Optimising the performance of the external building fabric through enhanced insulation to walls, floors, roofs and windows combined with good airtightness and thermal bridging values, significantly reduced the space heating demand.

Other energy-efficient features included modern and efficient heating systems and a robust ventilation strategy.

Meeting local needs through effective urban design

Community consultation sessions were held along with the architects, Barton Wilmore, to ensure that local requirements were met. Following this, certain changes were made to the proposed designs, including:

variation to the housing mix to include fewer single bedroom flats;
relocation to reduce potential overshadowing;
increase in private gardens;
amended parking arrangements;
inclusion of driveways to all homes;
and increased privacy through additional planting along shared boundaries.

Maximising community benefits

Robertson engaged with the community through the CCS Big Build competition which involves recreating inspirational buildings or landmarks while considering and respecting the environment. The children who take part in the Big Build are also able to learn about the factors involved in the building process.

By offering workshops, university projects, apprenticeships and courses to young people throughout the project, Robertson has had a positive impact on their employability.

Robertson successfully delivered these school and college workshops to 795 pupils exceeding target of 225, as well as providing 89 weeks of apprenticeships.

The project won a Considerate Constructors' Scheme Silver award in 2019, recognising that Robertson cares about appearance, respect the community, protect the environment, secure everyone's safety, and value their workforce.