Cruickshank family settle in to one of Moray Council's newest homes

THE CRUICKSHANK family are settling in to life in one of Moray Council’s newest homes.

Lyndsey Cruickshank and her husband, Michael, moved in to their brand new four-bedroom council property at Linkwood in Elgin six weeks ago, with their children 10 year-old Tiegan, nine year-old Katie and two year-old Mikey.

The family lived in a council house in Pinefield in Elgin for five years before moving to Linkwood, but needed a bigger house for medical reasons.

The Cruickshank’s new home is one of 16 affordable houses built for Moray Council tenants on the site so far, including eight one-bedroom flats, four three-bedroom houses and four four-bedroom houses. Construction began in March 2017 and was completed in March 2018.

Lyndsey said the family was already benefitting, with the biggest differences being family talks around the dinner table, and the kids having their own bedroom.

“In our old house there was no room for a dining table, so sitting round the table and talking is great.

“We’re all sleeping better because the kids have their own room, and we’ve got a private and secure garden for our dogs. I couldn’t ask for more.”

Lyndsey said that Michael, who works as a forklift driver, was also enjoying the new family home.

“He’s a family man and now he has the space to rough and tumble with the kids after work – he’s loving it, and so are the kids!”

Cllr Lorna Creswell, Chair of Moray Council’s Communities Committee, said the phase two of the development – which is under way and will see another 15 homes built by the end of the year – is just one of several new-build council housing developments in Moray.

“We’re delivering new council properties at Strathcona Road and Grantown Road in Forres, and Phase 2 of Linkwood and the Driving Range in Elgin. These developments, which are expected to be completed by the end of 2018, will provide 68 more homes for our tenants.”

Leader of Moray Council, Cllr George Alexander, said it was important to maintain the momentum.

“Our latest housing need and demand assessment – which has been praised as ‘robust and credible’ by the Scottish Government - shows that numbers of households in Moray are projected to increase by 7.8 per cent by 2033, so we must ensure that we’re continuing to provide as many high-quality, modern and energy-efficient homes for our residents as we can afford.”

Famous for its colony of dolphins, fabulous beaches and more malt whisky distilleries than any where else in Scotland, Moray is a thriving area and a great place to live. Nestling between Aberdeenshire and the Highlands, Moray stretches from Tomintoul in the south to the shores of the Moray Firth, from Keith in the east to Brodie Castle in the west.