Month: June 2014

The Grandhome Trust has welcomed Aberdeen City Council’s decision to approve its plans to develop the new community of Grandhome on the north-west edge of Aberdeen.

On 28 May 2014, the Council’s Planning Development Management Committee approved the Trust’s planning permission in principle application for the first 4,700 homes and associated amenities and infrastructure, subject to the finalisation of the Section 75 agreement for the development.

The Trust will now progress with a detailed infrastructure application which will be submitted to the Council later this year with a view to house builders starting on site by the end of the 2014.

The creation of Grandhome, involving almost £1 billion of investment in homes and infrastructure by 2050, will have a significant economic impact in and around Aberdeen and will play an important part in meeting the city’s future housing needs.

Bruce Smith, trustee and spokesman for the Grandhome Trust, said: “This is an exciting step towards the creation of Grandhome as a new community. From the outset of the planning process we have sought to ensure that Grandhome will embody the very best characteristics of successful communities and set new standards for development in Scotland. Our vision is to provide an attractive and vibrant community in which to live and work, and which will contribute greatly to the long-term sustainability and success of Aberdeen.”

“Grandhome will be delivered in strategic phases over the next 25-plus years. We will continue to work with the City Council to ensure that our vision is realised throughout the subsequent stages of planning and during the actual creation of the first neighbourhoods and wider community in the years ahead.”

Grandhome is a strategic development within the Aberdeen Local Development Plan. The new community will be delivered in a series of phases over the next 25-35 years and will cater for a significant proportion of Aberdeen’s forecast growth over this period, whilst also providing a new town centre and amenities for existing Bridge of Don residents.

Almost £1 billion will be invested in the creation of Grandhome, providing a significant economic stimulus to the construction and homebuilding sectors in the North-east of Scotland. The construction of the first 4,700 homes will support almost 600 construction jobs per annum for around 15-20 years.

The 4,700 homes within the community will accommodate around 11,500 residents, 80% of whom will be of working age. Projected total annual household expenditure will be in the order of £110 million, around half of which will be spent directly in Aberdeen, supporting a further 625 full-time equivalent jobs per annum.

Over the past five years, The Grandhome Trust has engaged world-leading expertise and consulted extensively with local and national stakeholders with the aim of creating an exceptional community that sets new standards for development in Scotland, and which will be a significant asset for the city in the years ahead. Grandhome is an exemplar project within the Scottish Government’s Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative.

The planning permission in principle application approved by the Council follows its approval as supplementary guidance in May 2013 of the Grandhome Development Framework, which sets out the vision for the development of the new community and its design aspirations over the coming decades.

Designed to provide an excellent environment and quality of life, the vision for Grandhome responds to local architectural characteristics and stems from the principles of place-making which promote walkable neighbourhoods, offering a range of house types, as well as community facilities, shops and jobs. The Grandhome masterplan also features a substantial network of green spaces enhancing local biodiversity and connecting Grandhome to the Don Valley and wider area.