The final stage of the regeneration of the Ormiston Crescent area of Whitfield is now under way, 25 years after the project started.
Dundee housing convener John Alexander cut the turf on the last phase of 32 new homes for rent being developed by Angus Housing Association and built by Aberuthven contractor, Hadden Construction.
The £3.9 million development has received a £2.18 million subsidy from the Scottish Government.
The final site was previously partly occupied by the last three remaining Skarne blocks in Ormiston Crescent and by open space, an unused car park and lock-up garages.
Earlier this year, the old Skarne blocks were transferred at no cost by the council to the association, and were demolished in preparation for the new houses.
No one wanted to live in the Skarne blocks, which became notorious for crime.
Tenants formed the Ormiston People’s Housing Co-operative to refurbish 96 houses in seven of the blocks, starting in 1989. A further 124 new houses, a community hub and local housing office were built up to 1994.
The viability of small community-controlled housing co-operatives was then called into question by new financial and governance arrangements, and the tenants transferred from the council to Angus Housing Association.
Yesterday Angus Housing Association chairman Sheena Welsh said: “When we took over the co-operative in 2003, we gave a commitment to the tenants in Ormiston and the wider Whitfield community that we were committed to the estate on a long term basis.
“I think we have proved this with our continued investment in new houses. We have also kept the office base open and this is now the only housing management presence in Whitfield.”
The association has modernised the original 96 flats and maisonettes, and in a few weeks will modernise the 124 houses built in the early 1990s.
By the end of 2015 the association will have invested more than £2 million in new doors, kitchens, bathrooms, heating systems and improved energy efficiency.
She said finishing the regeneration will be “the crowning glory of our involvement in Ormiston Crescent.”
Councillor Alexander said: “Dundee City Council is delighted to be working in partnership again with Angus Housing Association and the Scottish Government to complete this final phase.
“This is now a vibrant community and the huge demand for the new homes is a testament to the hard work and commitment of everyone involved to make this a place you can safely call home.”