Approval sought for Elgin north masterplan

A draft masterplan for a major new housing and commercial development on the outskirts of Elgin will go before councillors next week.

They will be asked to approve the blueprint for the 112 hectare site at Findrassie, to the north of Elgin, prior to the document going out to public consultation.

The site extends from Lossiemouth Road in the east to Duffus Road in the west and will create two new gateways into Elgin from the north.

It will represent a sizeable northward expansion of the Elgin town boundary and will accommodate around 1500 new houses as well as land suitable for business use.

The draft masterplan has been prepared by the landowner, Pitgaveny Estate, in partnership with Moray Council and is a prerequisite for the submission of any planning application and a requirement of the new Local Development Plan.

This is to ensure that a high quality of design is achieved on the ground in a coherent and consistent manner and that a strategic approach is taken to the provision of infrastructure for education, community facilities and transportation.

The masterplanning of large development sites such as Findrassie reflects the Scottish Government’s commitment to raise urban design standards.

The draft which will go before the council’s planning and regulatory services committee on Tuesday reflects the comments submitted following a consultation exercise held in April on the initial design concept for Findrassie.

Moray Council area stretches from Tomintoul in the south to the shores of the Moray Firth, from Keith in the east to Forres in the west. The council and its 4,500 employees respond to the needs of 92,500 residents in this beautiful part of Scotland, which nestles between Aberdeenshire and the Highlands.

Famous for its colony of dolphins, fabulous beaches and more malt whisky distilleries than any where else in Scotland, Moray is a thriving area and a great place to live.

Headquartered in  Elgin, the administrative capital of Moray.