A community-led initiative to build new affordable homes in Braemar has secured funding from the National Lottery Awards.
The £10,000 grant will be used to extend specialist support needed to help bring the 15 new affordable homes to the village.
It will allow a development officer from Rural Housing Scotland to continue working with local volunteers on the project.
Simon Blackett, chairman of Braemar Community Ltd, said: “The support of a paid development officer has been crucial to the progress of the project.
“Although we have a band of willing volunteers who work on the project in their spare time, we would have struggled to get this far without the work of a paid development officer.
“This award will allow us to continue to push our plans forward to provide much
needed new, affordable homes for Braemar.”
Plans for the community-led housing project are currently being considered by the Cairngorm National Park Authority.
The new houses will include one, two and three-bed homes as well as wheelchair accessible flats.
It had been previously hoped back in July 2020 that the project would get started this summer.
‘Strong need for new affordable homes’
Sam Foster, development officer with Rural Housing Scotland, said: “Our work with the people of Braemar has highlighted a strong need for new affordable homes in the village to support businesses and community life in general.
“People within the community have committed many volunteer hours to get this far, but we cannot expect volunteers to deliver rural housing without specialist support, and this new funding boost will help ensure that this support remains available as the project progresses.”
The homes are planned for a derelict piece of land behind Kindrochit Court in Braemar and alongside Tomrichton Woods.
Braemar Community Ltd was recently awarded funding from Scottish Land Fund to purchase these woods and green space for the village as part of the place-making aspect of the project.
Each home has been designed to reach the Passivhaus level of energy efficiency with hopes of tackling fuel poverty and reduce the environmental impact of the new builds.