River Clyde Homes is working with Kier Group to retrofit 90 homes at Prospecthill Court, a 15-storey tower block in Greenock, the Association for Environment Conscious Building (AECB) reported on 1 March 2024. The AECB described it as the biggest AECB Retrofit project so far in the UK and said it is the first project in Scotland to meet its standards1.
River Clyde Homes is a social housing provider and registered charity monitored by the Scottish Housing Regulator, owning and managing over 6,000 homes in the Inverclyde area, and is one of the larger independent providers of social homes in Scotland1. The work is designed by BDP (Building Design Partnership Ltd) and supported by the Scottish Government's SHNZHF fund1. The AECB states the retrofit "will help to improve tenant comfort, reduce carbon and eradicate fuel poverty"1.
The flats will receive triple glazed high performance windows on top of insulation provided by new cladding1. Andrew Maher of Kier said the project:
"makes Prospecthill Court a trailblazer, meeting the Association for Environment Conscious Building standards, the first in Scotland"
Duncan Smith, the housing association's head of energy and sustainability, who is leading the project, said residents will benefit from "cutting edge technology and materials which will reduce the building's carbon footprint and keep heat inside"1.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Homes retrofitted | 90 |
| Building | Prospecthill Court, 15-storey tower block, Greenock |
| Client | River Clyde Homes |
| Contractor | Kier Group |
| Designer | BDP (Building Design Partnership Ltd) |
| Funding | Scottish Government SHNZHF fund |
| Measures | New cladding with insulation; triple glazed high performance windows |
Why it matters for households
Prospecthill Court is a high-rise block, a building type where heat loss through the walls and windows is hard to fix flat by flat. Cladding with insulation and triple glazing address the fabric of the building itself, which is what determines how much heat a home retains and how much energy is needed to keep it warm1. For the tenants, the stated aims are comfort, lower carbon and the eradication of fuel poverty1.
The project also matters as a precedent. The AECB describes it as the first in Scotland to meet its standards, and the largest such project in the UK to date1. Scotland's housing stock, its heating mix and its climate targets set the context in which social landlords plan work of this kind; the nations hub covers how the four UK nations differ, and how Scottish homes are heated sets out the starting point for retrofit decisions there. Households in Scotland seeking independent advice on their own homes can approach Home Energy Scotland, while Changeworks works on retrofit and fuel poverty in Scotland and regional retrofit advice services operate warm homes hubs across the UK. Where a project needs assessment and coordination, retrofit assessors and retrofit coordinators explain who does what.
What happens next
The AECB report gives no completion date, no start date for the works and no breakdown of costs. A linked Greenock Telegraph article is referenced in the AECB post under the title "Prospecthill Court £4m cladding replacement programme", but the AECB text itself does not state a figure, and no further programme details have been reported1.