THE new community of Countesswells, near Aberdeen, has been granted approval for a new neighbourhood centre.
Masterplans for the three phases of the 3,000-home community have been described as “key” to the lay-out and design of its streets, houses, green spaces, local services, facilities and business premises.
Aberdeen City Council’s planning committee has now given the green light to the Phase 1b Masterplan for Countesswells which, following on from the previous award of planning permission in principle for the overall development, provides details of how the overall community will look.
Within this next phase, which will see the number of new homes rise to around 600 adjacent to the community’s first primary school, the neighbourhood centre will deliver local amenities such as retail space, community facilities and office space, set around a public open square.
Allan McGregor, Countesswells project director said, “Creating a new community is only possible when the place has all the elements people need to truly make it theirs, and that doesn’t just mean a home.
“Throughout the north east of Scotland, villages and towns, which have not only grown but prospered as places with their own identity, have been built around common spaces, from the iconic, historic archway at Fettercairn, to the market squares at Stonehaven and Ellon.
“The neighbourhood centre in Phase 1b is the back bone of the new settlement at Countesswells – its shops, indoor facilities and outdoor meeting spaces are there to be used for the benefit of the people who call the community home, and are proud to do so.
“Across the community, a dynamic mix of uses are built-in to each masterplan, balancing residential and retail, and leisure and commercial space to create a place with its own opportunities to live, work and play, while remaining part of what is a very cosmopolitan city – which is a key focus of the Council’s local plan.”
The community is being brought forward by Countesswells Development Limited, a subsidiary of Stewart Milne Group. The development of Countesswells will be phased over fifteen years, with a total capital value of around £1 billion.
