A "LANDMARK" housing development at the former site of a Borders high school has scooped a national prize.
The £7.3m Eildon Housing project on Poynder Place, Kelso, includes one and two-bedroom flats with onsite care and support services for people aged 60 years and above.
The Borders-based firm took the gong for the 'best supported housing development – rural/suburban' at the "prestigious" Inside Housing National Awards Ceremony in London.
Eildon chief executive Nile Istephan said: “We are thrilled to receive this award. Poynder Apartments has been a landmark development for Eildon.
"We knew from the outset that the former Kelso High School building had a rich history and was a much-treasured asset of the town. We wanted to preserve this history and give it a new lease of life by keeping its community spirit alive. Poynder Apartments fulfils this brief and more.
"It is back to being a living and breathing space, in the heart of the town. So far, 27 tenants have moved into their new extra care flats and 35 new jobs have been created. The building is now a hive of activity, offering lots of social opportunities and local partnership working, in our community hub space.”
The development benefitted from a £2.8m grant from the Scottish Government and £750,000 from Scottish Borders Council.
There is a range of communal facilities available for use by tenants and the wider community, including a hub where meals will be prepared and served, a hairdressers and a place for social activities.
Property assets director Neil Wilson-Prior said: “Converting a historic building like this was as rewarding as it was technically challenging. The team at Eildon worked tirelessly to respect its myriad period pieces whilst making sure this state of the art facility is fit for a long life.
"Working with our architects, Aitken Turnbull, we were able to realise our ambition with little compromise. Further, M&J Ballantyne fully bought into the vision and did an outstanding job in what was a complex conversion involving not only traditional skills and trades but also the installation of cutting-edge technology.
"All of us are local businesses who are heavily invested in seeing the Borders thrive and everything really came together on this project.”
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