Willox Park

McTaggart delivered 17 purpose-designed, age-friendly and wheelchair-accessible homes for West Dunbartonshire Council on the brownfield footprint of the former Willox Park Care Home. The two-storey U-shaped building provides a mix of one and two-bedroom flats arranged around a central landscaped courtyard, uniquely designed for residents already living within the surrounding sheltered housing. Mature boundary trees were retained and protected throughout, positively shaping the site layout and construction methodology, while residents remained in occupation during the build.

Works commenced in December 2024 under a 52-week contract. Additional programme complexity associated with the ground source heat pump installation and external walkway coordination was managed collaboratively, with an agreed extension of time to ensure quality and delivery certainty. The project was successfully handed over in February 2026.

Construction was carried out within an occupied sheltered housing environment, requiring careful consideration of resident wellbeing at every stage, with particular attention to privacy, overshadowing and overlooking. The retention of mature trees influenced both the building footprint and drainage strategy, requiring close coordination across the design and construction team. The design was refined in response to planning authority feedback throughout, while maintaining full compliance with accessibility standards.

Extensive community engagement was embedded throughout design development and construction. Two resident and neighbour drop-in consultation sessions were held, supported by regular newsletters and ongoing site-based dialogue. Feedback directly informed key design decisions including building layout, access arrangements, parking provision and tree retention. McTaggart also relocated a resident's cherished rose bush during site mobilisation, reflecting the considerate, person-centred approach taken throughout.

Willox Park demonstrates best practice in the integration of low-carbon technology, age-friendly design and biodiversity enhancement on a compact urban brownfield site. All 17 homes achieve net zero direct emissions through a shared ground source heat pump system, complemented by roof-mounted photovoltaic panels, MVHR systems and a high-performance building fabric - delivering Platinum Aspect 1 performance under the Scottish Technical Standards. The scheme incorporates dementia-informed design principles, with colour-coded private entrances, lift access and homes arranged around a landscaped courtyard promoting wellbeing and safe social interaction. A residential misting system was installed in place of a traditional sprinkler system, and radio-frequency fire alarms are integrated directly with the Council's care and emergency monitoring system.

The design approach refined the scheme's massing and orientation to avoid demolition of any existing tenanted buildings. Biodiversity was enhanced through new planting and native species across landscaped areas. Parking provision was informed by real usage data from an on-site parking survey. Collaborative design reviews delivered Mobilane living hedging to upgrade refuse and recycling enclosures, with the misting system and RF fire alarm integration delivered as demonstrable innovations without variation to the contract sum.

Community engagement was sustained throughout design and construction through two formal drop-in sessions, regular newsletters and ongoing dialogue with the sheltered housing community. The project delivered jobs, apprenticeships and training opportunities for local young people, alongside education engagement through school visits linked to construction, sustainability and biodiversity. More than £10,000 of community project works was delivered through the West Dunbartonshire community wish list.