North Ayrshire Council has been congratulated for its fantastic efforts to bring empty houses back into use.

The Private Sector team of the council was honoured by Shelter Scotland for all their great efforts to bring back life into these abandoned properties.

North Ayrshire Council was given recognition for all the progress they have made in the past three years and the team was named Scottish Empty Homes Champions of the year 2019.

Councillor Jim Montgomerie, had said himself that the council had taken great strides in recent years through the proactive work of the Private Sector Team.

He added: “We are well aware that empty homes can be a blight on local communities, attracting antisocial behaviour.

“Bringing these empty homes back into use helps us support the regeneration of our local communities and, alongside our comprehensive council house building programme, will remain a big priority for us as we continue to deliver the homes our residents need.”

North Ayrshire Council recently announced it’s expanding, ambitious masterplan to build hundreds of new council houses.

The plan includes a commitment for more new-build homes on top of the council’s proposals as well providing a catalyst for the regeneration of towns and communities across the area.

This newly discussed plan will secure investment in a total of 1,695 properties across North Ayrshire over the period 2020-2025, working alongside registered social landlords.