Author: Chris Bond

The updated framework for Grandhome, which sets out the vision for the new village to the north and west of the Parkway, was approved by Aberdeen City Council today, as interim planning advice.

LOCAL facilities including a health centre and community venue serving the Danestone and Bridge of Don areas of Aberdeen will be included in the early stages of the development of the new settlement at Grandhome, in response to appeals from residents. One of the Government’s Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative, Grandhome aims to set new standards for development in Scotland and will deliver vital new facilities and homes in the area over the next 25 years. The masterplan has been worked on since 2008 and continues to be strongly influenced by community input.

During public consultations in 2012, residents wanted to understand what additional services could be provided at Grandhome to address a perceived lack of certain amenities in the surrounding area. In response, the Grandhome Trust has now adapted its plan to include a community theatre and cinema within the new town centre and a health centre complex which will serve the wider Danestone and Bridge of Don area.

Bruce Smith, trustee and spokesman for the Grandhome Trust, said: “The community played a very active part in consultations and what was clear to us was the need for a new heart within the Bridge of Don. A new community venue of the type we are proposing would provide a focus for arts and culture in the area.”

The first phase of the new village will be up to 450 homes to the south-east of the site. If planning permission is granted this year, the first homes will be ready in 2015.

Mr Smith said: “The timing for completion of the first homes aligns with the Third Don Crossing and other transport improvements, which significantly alleviates any concerns over the additional traffic.

Design modifications to better integrate the town centre with land set aside for business, which will bring new employment opportunities to the community, have also been carried out as part of the development of the final masterplan. This will include shops, offices and other facilities serving the wider community. Grandhome is a strategic development within the Aberdeen Local Development Plan, and aims to set new standards of place-making and a sense of community in the North-east.

It will deliver a wide range of local amenities for its residents including schools, doctors’ surgeries, leisure and outdoor facilities and green space, as well as workplaces – all within a ten minute walk.

Designed to provide an excellent environment and quality of life, Grandhome would feature significant green space – including parks, woodland and open space, including good connections to the Don Valley and surrounding countryside.

More than 250 people including local residents, businesses  and representatives from health, education and other community service providers participated in a two-day public consultation seeking local input into proposals for Grandhome.

The consultation took place as the Grandhome Trust work to finalise proposals for the development ahead of the submission of a planning application for Planning Permission in Principle in Summer 2013 followed by an application for Full Planning Permission for the first phase of development in autumn 2013.

Members of the Grandhome planning and design team discussed the plans with groups of locals, explaining components of the long-term vision that would eventually bring up to 7,000 homes, a vibrant town centre and a business park generating important employment opportunities.

Bruce Smith, a trustee of and spokesman for the Grandhome Trust, said feedback from the events had been “hugely constructive”.

“The consultation has allowed us to draw on the breadth of knowledge of local residents who are extremely passionate about their community. What is most clear is that we share the same vision – the area needs to see the creation of new facilities which will help to bind its communities even closer together,” said Mr Smith.

“The sessions allowed us to reinforce the fact that the development of Grandhome would be an uncompromised effort to deliver a truly special new community with something for everyone, and that it would be phased over a lengthy period, in line with the development plan for Aberdeen, rather than the entire site being developed within a short space of time as some had believed.

“We were able to reassure the community, who had concerns about traffic and the need for more local facilities, that the proposal will not see development outstretch local amenity or infrastructure.

“Grandhome will grow alongside delivery of new services and key infrastructure upgrades which specifically serve this local area. A range of detailed environmental studies are being carried out to help identify the phasing of infrastructure that is needed in support of the new community, including potential improvements to the local road network, most of which are already included in the local plan.

“What we will now do is further develop the masterplan, influenced by the thoughts of the community, and will hold a further consultation event early in the new year at which we will display the updated proposals we then intend to take forward to Aberdeen City Council.”

The Grandhome masterplan was unveiled to the public at an exhibition opening in the city on the 30^th October, as part of a two day public consultation.

The exhibition took place at the Mains of Scotstown, Jesmond Square, Bridge of Don on Tuesday, 30^th October and Wednesday 31^st from noon to 7.30pm.

Bruce Smith, spokesman for the Grandhome Trust, said that the public exhibition gave local residents and the wider public the opportunity to give feedback on the masterplan directly to the design team.

“Grandhome is a unique opportunity for this region to set the tone for future development in Scotland – to create a sensitive, sustainable community which not only integrates with its area, but positively contributes to it,” said Mr Smith.

“These exhibitions play a key part in the development of the final masterplan for Grandhome and we welcome the views of local people in shaping the design process.

“The masterplan has been developed following the very successful Grandhome Charrette which took place in 2010, drawing a tremendous response from the local area and wider Aberdeen City, and which informed the masterplan draft to be unveiled tomorrow.

“It is really important that we receive as much information as we can from the local community at this stage, as it allows the design team to create a finalised masterplan which addresses residents’ comments and suggestions.”

The exhibition summarised the key design principles underpinning the Grandhome masterplan, including its connected street pattern, planned neighbourhoods, green space network and the overall look and feel of the planned community.

Over the coming months, the Grandhome design team will continue to refine the masterplan and undertake a range of detailed environmental studies in support of the proposals to help identify the range and phasing of infrastructure that is needed in support of the new community. This will include potential improvements to the local road network, as well as schools and doctors’ surgeries.

The community will be given another chance to comment on the detailed work being undertaken on the masterplan, before planning applications are submitted in Summer 2013.

For Press Enquiries, please  contact:

Tel: +44 (0) 1244 615 004
Email: press@grandhome.co.uk