Month: November 2016

Work on the first phase of infrastructure that will support the creation of the new community of Grandhome is now underway with civil engineering and utility contractor W M Donald carrying out works on the site.

Grandhome is a planned new community for Aberdeen which will set new standards in the region for place making in terms of its built environment, sense of place, civic amenities and quality of life.

The £7.2 million contract will see W M Donald put in place the first phase of infrastructure needed to support around 200 homes at Laverock Braes, the community’s first neighbourhood. This includes laying more than 800 metres of road, the installation of external street lighting and landscaping on the site. Underground infrastructure will also be put in place to bring essential services onto the site, including drainage, water, gas, electricity and telecoms.

As part of the works, two new access junctions are being created onto the existing road network at Whitestripes Avenue, along with an off-site pedestrian crossing, while the footpath on the west side of the road will be widened, to promote pedestrian access to and from the community.

The infrastructure works are being supported by a £7.9 million loan from the Scottish Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund.

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 300 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.

The community will be built according to a masterplan which has been designed over the past decade by an internationally recognised team of architects in consultation with the local community. The masterplan is complemented by a design code that will ensure the community meets consistent and high standards throughout.

The design of Grandhome’s streets has been influenced by the Scottish Government’s progressive policy document Designing Streets. This document promotes high quality street design and place-making oriented around safe streets for cyclists and pedestrians within a network of connected and walkable neighbourhoods. Grandhome is the first of Aberdeen’s large scale developments that will be delivered entirely in accordance with the principles set out in this guidance, which underpins the status of the new community as part of the Scottish Government’s Sustainable Scottish Community Initiative.

Bruce Smith, trustee and spokesman for the Grandhome Trust, said: “The beginning of the infrastructure works for Grandhome’s first neighbourhood, Laverock Braes, is a major milestone for the community as we move from more than a decade of planning to the delivery of our vision.

“The first phase of infrastructure works will ensure that the plots are prepared for housing developers to move onsite next year to develop the first new homes for what will be an exemplary new community for the north-east of Scotland.

“Grandhome is an important vote of confidence in the future of the city as a place in which to live, work and invest and will set new standards for quality while meeting a significant proportion of the city’s future housing needs,” said Mr Smith.

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.