Plans for a major housing expansion in Elgin have been unveiled to the public for the first time since being approved by the local authority.
Residents flocked to Moray College’s Alexander Graham Bell Centre yesterday to inspect the masterplan for a development of 1,500 houses in the town’s Findrassie area.
Visitors were guided through the plans and left feedback, which will be taken into consideration as the development takes shape.
Last month the council’s planning committee approved the massive housing expansion, which will be built over a 276-acre site to the north of Elgin.
Construction is expected to take between 20 and 30 years, and long-term plans include the creation of a new primary school and business park.
The site will stretch from Duffus Road in the west to the A941 Elgin to Lossiemouth road in the east.
Iain Catto, who lives in the nearby Bishopmill area, was among those who attended the consultation.
He said: “I’m interested in what’s happening in the local area, and I’m keen to see that the masterplan links well with the rest of Elgin.
“I attended a previous exhibition this April and it’s good to see where changes have been made, based on the public response
at that time.”
Local authority staff joined representatives of landowners Pitgaveny at the exhibition, and spoke to local residents about the scheme.
Rebecca Russell, a co-owner of Pitgavney Estate, said: “We want to do something in Elgin that has not really been done before, and we’re really looking to include all generations in the consultation process.”
Pitgaveny Estate worked in conjunction with chartered surveyors Savills-Smiths Gore in drawing up the proposals.
The surveying firm recruited local expert Donald Lunan as a planning adviser, and he helped run yesterday’s consultation.
Mr Lunan said: “It was quite busy, and it was good to see the development attract a fair bit of interest.
“A lot of the questions centred on the movement of traffic, and we explained that will be managed at each stage of the development.
“People realise this is a long-term plan, and 1,500 houses won’t simply appear and begin pouring cars onto the streets of Elgin.”
Large banners on display at the college outlined the types of housing that will be incorporated into the site, and the
potential new primary school building.