Council green-lights Social Bite village in Rutherglen as homeless figures increase

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A new homeless village in Rutherglen has been given the green light by South Lanarkshire Council.Councillors sitting on Tuesday’s meeting of the local authority’s planning committee granted planning permission for the supported temporary accommodation project.The joint venture between the local authority’s Housing Services department and the charity Social Bite will see 16 prefabricated pods and a community hub erected in the town’s Harriet Street.The sustainable modular homes known as Nest Houses, and include a unit for staff will be manufactured by Scottish PropTech company Ecosystems Technologies.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android The site was previously home to Westfield Saw Mills but has been lying empty for around seven years.Each pod contains a bedroom, shower room, kitchen and a lounge space.The community hub will have cooking, welfare and laundry facilities and will provide a central area where residents can meet.Permission was granted on the same day that Scottish Government figures revealed the number of homeless cases in Scotland have risen to record levels.Chair of the Housing and Technical Resources Committee, Councillor Davie McLachlan, said: “I’m delighted that this has been agreed today as it will help the delivery of the council’s homelessness strategy.“Social Bite have a proven