New tenants get a first look at Rowarden Place

Sheena Borthwick-Toomey, operations director at ADT, was on hand to meet and greet tenants and show them around their new homes.

There was a buzz of excitement across the development as people visited the site. One new resident who wished to remain anonymous couldn’t hide her excitement when she was shown inside her new home. She said: “It honestly doesn’t feel real.” Another tenant was speechless and burst into tears.

Sheena said: “I knew there would be a lot of excitement but I’m blown away by the reaction from people today. It’s brilliant.”

The properties are currently undergoing the final stages of work, and Sheena confirmed tenants will be able to move into their new homes in three to four weeks time. Construction workers were busy putting the finishing touches inside many of the homes during the open day, and outside in the communal spaces and private gardens.

The development has faced numerous delays. Construction work began in spring 2023, and was due to take 14-18 months to complete. ADT had originally hoped to have some, if not all, properties available for occupation by Christmas last year.

However, a combination of issues relating to utility providers and cancelled ferry sailings caused delays to the project. More recently, stormy weather delivered another setback when the access road was washed away.

The Rowarden development sparked a huge wave of interest when applications opened in December 2023 with the ADT receiving more than 70 applications. A points allocation process was put in place to determine those most suitable for the homes.

Funding for the development was provided by a series of funds and grants, including over £1.5 million from the Scottish government’s rural and islands housing fund and £2.1 million from Crowdproperty Finance.