Four new homes have been unveiled in Strathblane on a street named in memory of a councillor.
A handover ceremony, with the first tenants to move in, took place on Monday of this week in a location appropriately named Graham Lambie Brae after the late local councillor Graham Lambie.
The one-bedroom cottage flats are part of a wider Adam (Scotland) development which offered homes for sale to private buyers.
Mark Griffiths, chair of Rural Stirling Housing Association, said: “These new homes represent our commitment to the communities of rural Stirlingshire and a long-standing desire to keep on building homes where people want to live.
“We wish the tenants every happiness in their new homes.”
Margaret Vass, chair of Strathblane Community Development Trust, said: “The homes and tenants are most welcome in our village.
“Our 2019 Housing Needs Survey indicated that homes to rent and low cost homes to buy are required to sustain our community.”
The homes feature roof solar PV panels which help reduce energy bills, with each property equipped with an electric vehicle charging point. They also have cycle storage externally and, in keeping with modern construction methods, a fire suppression system.
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One of the first tenants to move in is Allan Threshie who said: “The properties are amazing. I’m delighted with my flat. The builders and Rural Stirling Housing Association have together done an amazing job.”
The late councillor Graham Lambie was widely admired for his work in the community. He also served for a time on the board of Rural Stirling Housing Association.
His untimely death in early 2021 shocked the community and the naming of a street in his memory is seen as a fitting and lasting tribute to his life and work.
Councillor Lambie died suddenly in February 2001 and the suggestion of his name to be used in a street within the development was put forward by Strathblane Community Council.
The SNP councillor has also been remembered in other ways. The Graham Lambie Award was established for the 2022 Provost’s Awards. It is presented to someone within the Forth and Endrick councillor’s former ward area, which he represented from 2007 until his tragic death at the age of 62.
Councillor Lambie was previously described by former Provost Christine Simpson as being “an incredibly dedicated and selfless councillor and a “warm and engaging character who was both liked and respected across the political divide”.
Former council leader, SNP councillor Scott Farmer, also described him as “one of a kind” and “a very kind, genuine and hard-working person who cared deeply about his constituents”.
Donna Birrell, chief executive of Rural Stirling Housing Association, said this week: “Graham is a much-missed community campaigner and it is highly appropriate that this important step forward for housing in Strathblane should recognise his invaluable contribution to village life.”
Meanwhile, RSHA is keen to hear from prospective tenants who wish to apply for housing in rural areas. The association can be contacted on 01786 841101, by email at enquiries@rsha.org.uk or by writing to Rural Stirling Housing Association, Stirling Road, Doune, FK16 6AA.
