Press
Article regarding Ballater development, published in the Press &
Journal, 6 April 2004
Housing
co-operative Tenants First has reacted angrily to suggestions its latest
development at Ballater is designed to house paedophiles. Chief
Executive Sandy Murray yesterday described the comments about the
five-property Invercauld
Park
development as “a slur on our tenants and a slur on
the people of Ballater”
Mr.
Murray said he was appalled at newspaper reports suggesting paedophiles
and former prisoners were being targeted with offers to rent the homes.
“There’s
not a shred of truth in that,” he said. “Three tenants will be
nominated by Aberdeenshire Council and two by ourselves. We have made
offers to two families in Ballater and one has already been accepted.”
Tenants
First is the largest housing co-operative in the UK, providing 1,200 houses mainly for families and
sheltered accommodation for the elderly.
The
non-profit making organisation is owned and run by its tenant members.
The
organisation secured five homes, worth £100,000 each, as part of a
planning agreement with developers Scotia
Homes
.The
three-bedroom homes are wheelchair accessible and used innovative Dutch
construction methods to allow them to be built quickly.
“Ballater
has a high-pressure housing market and it’s very difficult for people to
purchase homes there because of outside interest’ said Mr. Murray. “We
are held in wide regard, and have large waiting lists for the houses.
Never have we had to put up with this. We believe this could have an
incalculable effect on our reputation.”
Highlighting
local confusion over whether the homes would be for sale, he said Tenants
First’s focus was on rented accommodation and that position had always
been made clear.
