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Energy firm to build new homes for island workforce

Eileen MacdonaldBBC Scotland News
BBC NAIDHEACHDAN Ten representatives from SSEN Transmission and Hebridean Housing Partnership in hi-vis jackets and helmets, standing in front of a black and white construction billboard. Grey skies behind. Fencing, grey portacabin and white construction vehicle in the background. BBC NAIDHEACHDAN
Plans for the building work were revealed in Lewis this week

An energy firm has unveiled plans to spend £17m building 50 new homes on the Isle of Lewis.

They will initially be for SSEN Transmission workforce - who are upgrading the electricity infrastructure on the island - but will be available for islanders once that is completed.

The company will be working with the Hebridean Housing Partnership (HHP) as part of its Melbost West social housing development on the outskirts of Stornoway, where there will be 73 homes in total.

It means that 23 properties will be immediately available for people in the local community in 2029 with the rest being added to the permanent stock of social housing once the Lewis Hub and associated projects are built.

BBC NAIDHEACHDAN Portrait shot of Dena MacLeod from HHP in hi-vis jacket and white hard hat, standing on the Melbost West Housing Development site. Fencing, billboard and white construction vehicle in the background. BBC NAIDHEACHDAN
Dena MacLeod from HHP said the collaboration ensured a ''lasting 'bricks and mortar' legacy''

SSEN Transmission has promised to support the construction of 1,000 homes in the north of Scotland while the electricity network is being upgraded.

In Lewis, it is supporting up to 94 new affordable homes at the Stornoway Airport Housing Development, alongside CalMax Construction and HHP.

The refurbishment of Stornoway's Caledonian Hotel is included, being brought back into use for the first time in more than a decade.

Dena MacLeod, chief executive of HHP, said that by working together they were ensuring the energy work left a "'bricks and mortar' legacy for the islands".

Lewis Hub

The housing developments are needed for the workforce for the Lewis Hub project - a major clean energy project that will connect the Western Isles to the GB electricity transmission network for the first time.

It will take power from renewable projects to the grid through a new subsea cable.

Sandy Mactaggart, director of offshore delivery at SSEN Transmission, said: "Our work in the Western Isles and elsewhere is focused on finding mutually-beneficial solutions that work for local communities, as well as for the construction of critical national infrastructure. ''