Jencks View
- housing for seniors -
Jencks View, EH27 8EU, are seven houses developed by KCDT to help aging villagers stay in the area.
The houses
The houses are two-bedroom, low-energy, and accessible bungalows sited on land owned by KCDT at the eastern end of Main Street, Kirknewton. The build was a massive project for KCDT, and required a lot of hard work and dedication - in particular from one volunteer director and the KCDT Finance Officer. The houses are designed near Passivhaus standard and were built using a Scottish “Modern Method of Construction” utilizing factory made heavily insulated panels that were assembled as “kit” on the site. The structure has much lower embodied energy than traditional building methods commonly used. The houses are all electric, utilise solar energy, are super-insulated with triple glazing, and have a ventilation system with heat recovery to minimize energy costs. KCDT hopes to retrofit air-source Heat Pumps and as of March 2026 have a potential donor from whom we are waiting for a final decision.
The residents
Community consultation undertaken by KCDT identified the need to retain older villagers, or those experiencing increasing needs, in the area. Handover to the first occupants took place in July 2025. The consultation revealed that Kirknewton residents were sometimes required to move from this community due to the death of a spouse or increasing infirmity resulting in dislocation from their friends and their community. Horizon Housing Association are the appointed managers for the houses, acting as the KCDT letting partners and managing the day-to-day affairs of the properties. If houses become available, the application process will be managed by Horizon. Occupants are selected using a number of criteria based on age (over 55 years of age), level of need for support, and local connections.
The finances
The development was financed through a number of channels including a Scottish Government Grant under the Rural Housing Initiative, funds from the Ecology Building Society, a 40 year mortgage, and capital reserves of KCDT. Furthermore, KCDT already owned the land through a partial grant from the Scottish Land Fund. The project has cost nearly £2,000,000 overall. The KCDT suffered a considerable depletion of its reserves because of cost over-runs during the development, which was partially balanced by charitable donations from a Kirknewton resident, The Coram Trust, and The Garfield Weston Foundation. The rent from residents is used to cover the mortgage, a portion is retained for repairs and maintenance, and Horizon charge a management fee.
