The £6m contract to replace a permanent traveller site near Perth has been given to a Perthshire firm.
All 20 chalets at Double Dykes in Ruthvenfield will be replaced with brand-new energy-efficient accommodation.
Major additional improvement works will also be carried out across the site.
Following a tender process, Aberuthven-based construction company, Hadden Group will take the project through to completion.
The council successfully bid for £3,906,000 from the Scottish Government’s Gypsy/Traveller Accommodation Fund to help pay for the works.
The award represents 60% of the total cost, with the council contributing the remaining £2m.
Step forward for Double Dykes chalet improvement scheme
The Double Dykes improvement scheme will see:
- 20 brand new chalets built to replace existing older accommodation.
- New energy-efficient heating and hot water systems installed using renewable technology such as solar panels, with the potential to be net zero.
- The installation of new services and utility connections.
- New fencing for each pitch.
- Improvements to existing roadways and fences.
- Upgrades to LED street lighting.
- Improvements to drainage.
- Development of a playing field area to rear of the site to consider opportunities for a communal gathering area, a play park with seating area, and the potential for a community garden area.
- Installation of new paths.
Aberuthven-based Hadden Group wins £6m project
Hadden Group representatives will meet residents soon to discuss individual requirements for the chalets.
The council’s housing and social wellbeing convener, Councillor Tom McEwan, said the energy-efficient new accommodation will “help residents to save on their bills.”
He added: “The replacement programme will be carried out in four phases to minimise disruption to residents, and we plan to be on-site later this year.
“The people who live at Double Dykes are tenants of the council and we have a duty to provide the best services we can for them.”
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