By Hannah Wood

A Dumbarton shopkeeper has told how he is delighted to be at the heart of a new £5million housing development.

Zia Haq’s Day-Today store is right in the middle of newly-unveiled homes on Carrick Terrace, Castlehill.

The 31-property development was constructed by Cube Housing in association with West Dunbartonshire Council, and feature a mix of one and two-bedroom cottage flats as well as two and three-bedroom houses.

Shopkeeper Zia ran a shop in the area previously, and was the last business to remain after tenement buildings had been pulled down in 2013 and much of it had remained derelict since

Zia told the Reporter: “The whole community is really happy with the whole development, and I am delighted to be able to serve them with a better, cleaner, brighter shop.

“Customers have been coming to my previous shop for years and years, so we are really happy to now be able to offer a better range of products thanks to the new building.”

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West Dunbartonshire Council’s housing convener, councillor Diane Docherty, marked the official opening of the site last week, saying: “High quality housing is a vital part of any community – and that’s why the Council’s pledge to build 1000 new homes in West Dunbartonshire by 2021 is so important.

“The completion of these 31 homes reaffirms our strong commitment to deliver on our ‘More Homes Better Homes’ plan.”

The newly-unveliled homes are part of a £5 million project, which was boosted by a grant from the Scottish government.

The two storey builds include a mix of one and two-bedroom cottage flats as well as two and three-bedroom houses.

Each building boasts its own garden, with three of the homes having been tailored specially for tenants with disabilities.

Having already built 138 homes as a part of its partnership with the council, Cube is currently building 133 houses with plans for a further 80 in the pipeline.

A Dumbarton housing development featuring a community shop has been unveiled.

The £5 million project, boosted by a grant from the Scottish Government, features 31 energy efficient homes located on Carrick Terrace in Castlehill.

Constructed by Cube Housing Association in collaboration with West Dunbartonshire Council,

Previously, the area had remained derelict since the demolition of its tenement houses in 2013.

Zia Haq, who operated the last remaining shop on the old site before being offered to run the newly built Day-Today on Hawthonhill Road said: