WEST LOTHIAN COMMUNITY, KIRKNEWTON, AND THE SCOTTISH LAND FUND AWARD

That this House congratulates the Kirknewton Community Development Trust Ltd on its £60,000 award to purchase 0.31 hectares of land following its application to the Scottish Land Fund; recognises that the land owned by the group will empower the community to lead and control the development of the site to provide new, low-energy, affordable houses which will be made available for local elderly people to rent; further recognises the ambitious plans of Kirknewton Community Development Trust Ltd to build genuinely sustainable houses, each with annual energy bills lower than the current winter fuel allowance; acknowledges that a number of older people in Kirknewton were unable to access amenities or social housing, which increased the likelihood that they would experience future difficulties; commends the Scottish Land Fund for supporting rural communities to become more sustainable through the ownership and management of land and land assets; and further congratulates the Kirknewton Community Development Trust Ltd on being the first in the West Lothian community area to receive a Scottish Land Award.