Braemar Community Council have been granted consent by Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) for the build of 15 new affordable homes in the village. Just off Mar Road on a brownfield site is where the properties will be situated, comprising of three blocks of flats and terraced houses all available to rent.
The project will be an opportunity to address the need for an increase in new affordable housing and will support economic development in the local community, while not disrupting the landscape of the national park.
The application for this project sought planning permission for the creation of 15 properties devised into three blocks, along with associated access, drainage, service, and landscaping works. The blocks will be comprised of 10 flats and 5 terraced houses all to be rented out at affordable social rates, with two of the flats being fully wheelchair accessible.
They will be built to the Passivhaus standard of energy efficiency, minimising the effect the buildings will have on the climate, and reducing the risk of fuel-poverty. Landscaping of the homes will ensure the terraces will be open to the adjacent woodland, with the houses all to be orientated to optimise the amount of sunshine they get throughout the year.
The project is highlighting the problem of a shortage in affordable homes for those in the Braemar area. The area has seen a rise in prices also due to the demand for holiday and retirement homes and hotel and staff accommodation.
An affordable housing project like this would bring significant benefits to local families and individuals and is a step in the right direction for housing in rural Scotland, with construction hoping to take place in 2023.