Housing development for Aberdeen City Council completed by Robertson

Infrastructure, support services and construction group- Robertson, has finished the new phase of Aberdeen City Council’s new-build council housing programme, with tenants already moved in and delighting in their new homes.

The Marchburn Park development comprises 18 two-bedroom flats and 17 three-bedroom houses and is conveniently located within walking distance of amenities, transport links and local schools. Robertson constructed Marchburn Park’s 35 properties on schedule, within budget and to specification.

Robertson was awarded the contract following a rigorous tender process. The project has created inspirational 21st century homes that are sustainable and energy efficient.

John McHardy, Regional Business Development Director from Robertson, said: “The Marchburn development has created 35 energy efficient, family homes with the highest standards of finish. We worked closely with Aberdeen City Council Housing Officers to design these houses to the highest standards.

“We are experts in sustainable design and construction and we’ve incorporated a number of features to ensure the houses are as environmentally efficient as possible, such as high levels of insulation, air-tightness and solar panels and efficient heating systems. These design features will reduce the cost of household energy bills for residents by approximately 80% compared with a traditional council house in the city.”

A key feature of the Robertson-built homes at Marchburn Park is the incorporation of renewable energy sources to reduce the overall running costs of the properties. In addition to insulation and efficient heating systems, Robertson incorporated a range of features to the development, including:
-orientation of housing and site layout – south-facing where possible;

-simplicity of design - design floor plan layouts for efficiency;

-use of modern methods of construction - timber framed structure for speed / ease of construction;

-use of materials with a low environmental impact - materials with low embodied energy or sourced locally.

-use of airtight construction - building papers overlap and windows received additional attention, in order to maximise heat retention and reduce heating bills;

-low volatile organic compound paints and recycled materials used wherever possible.

Marchburn Park has been developed as a Homezone scheme with a courtyard layout. Homezones aim to change the way streets are used by making them places for people, not just traffic, so that the needs of car drivers are secondary to the needs of users of the street. It works to limit the volume and speed of traffic while creating places for residents to gather and play.

Pete Leonard, Aberdeen City Council Director of Housing and Environment said: “This is another important milestone in our new-build council housing programme and I am delighted to hear that the work is now completed and tenants are moving in. I have been very impressed with the high standard of work involved in all phases of this programme and I am sure the new tenants at Marchburn will agree.”

Robertson are also constructing a further phase of Aberdeen City Council’s new-build programme which comprises 31 properties at Oldcroft Gardens, Stockethill and this project is also nearing completion.

Aberdeen City Council’s new-build programme is funded by the council’s housing revenue account and £3,030,000 of funding from the Scottish Government's Incentivising New Council House Building scheme.