A planning application has been lodged for the infrastructure that will support the creation of the first neighbourhood within the new community of Grandhome on the north-west edge of Aberdeen.
The application to Aberdeen City Council seeks permission to construct the key roads, utilities, strategic drainage and landscaping that will provide the framework for the building of the first 650 homes, in a neighbourhood to be known as Laverock Braes.
Laverock Braes will be a mixed-use neighbourhood, containing shops and business space for local people as well as a public square and a multi-purpose community hall. Davidston Square is designed to be the focal point for the local community and will provide high quality public space to frame Davidston Hall, which has been designed by award-winning Edinburgh-based practice Reiach and Hall Architects.
The initial street plan conforms to the strategic masterplan for Grandhome forming the link between the wider Bridge of Don community and what will become the High Street for Grandhome.
The street plan is designed to prioritise walking throughout the community with connected streets, shared spaces and speed control measures for vehicles. In addition to linking the different neighbourhoods within Grandhome, the pedestrian footways and roads will connect with the wider Aberdeen Core Path network allowing the wider community to enjoy the seven hectares of open space and parkland that will be delivered in support of the first phase.
An application for Roads Construction Consent (RCC) for the initial streets that will form part of Laverock Braes has already been submitted to the Council for determination in conjunction the latest application. This includes a new access off Whitestripes Road with facilities for safe pedestrian crossing.
Subject to receiving the necessary consents from the Council, infrastructure works will get underway on site in August this year.
In March, The Grandhome Trust announced that three housebuilders – Bancon Homes, Cala Homes and Dandara – had been selected to deliver Laverock Braes, which will be built over the next four years. The homes for the first neighbourhood will be subject to a separate planning application later this year.
Bruce Smith, a Trustee of The Grandhome Trust, said, “The proposals for Laverock Braes are in accordance with the broader design objectives for Grandhome and underline our absolute commitment to maintaining quality from design through to delivery. In contrast to one size-fits-all developments where all the streets feel the same, Grandhome incorporates a different range of paths, lanes, minor streets, main streets and high streets that would normally only be found in a more traditional community that has evolved over time. This approach helps to create a stronger sense of place.
“It is this attention to detail from the outset, drawing on the collective experience of an award-winning design team, that will ensure that we meet our aim of creating a new community that sets new standards for urban development in Scotland and, as an outstanding environment in which to live and work, contributes to the long term prosperity of the city and surrounding region.”
Grandhome occupies a 320 hectare site located six kilometres north-west of Aberdeen city centre. With long-term potential for 7,000 homes, the community is being planned and developed by The Grandhome Trust, a family-led entity that has held the land for more than 400 years. The Trust has a vision to create a community of exemplary quality in terms of its built environment, sense of place, civic amenities and quality of life.
Grandhome was granted planning permission in principle by Aberdeen City Council in February 2015 for 4,700 homes, a new town centre, business district and community facilities including extensive public spaces. The new community will provide an environment of unique type and quality as well as helping to provide jobs, services and homes that will benefit the wider community and economy in Aberdeen and the surrounding region.
The creation of Grandhome will bring significant economic activity to the city with an investment of almost £1 billion in homes and infrastructure over the next 40 years. It is forecast to support almost 600 construction jobs annually and the first five phases of development, equivalent to 4,700 homes of which 1,175 will be affordable homes, will accommodate around 11,500 residents with annual household expenditure totalling £110 million.
