Proposals for a new village in the Cairngorms National Park will go under the spotlight this month at a conference marking the 250th anniversary of another planned town just a few miles away
Around 1,500 homes are planned at An Camas Mor on Rothiemurchus Estate, near Aviemore.
Now the laird will speak about the project as part of a conference discussing the history of Grantown.
Johnnie Grant’s appearance at the conference is especially fitting as it was his distant cousin James Grant who founded the Strathspey capital in 1765.
A host of events will be held in Grantown to mark the anniversary of the laying of the first stone.
Mr Grant said: “I will be discussing An Camas Mor, the new community planned to meet the Aviemore and Vicinity Community Council aspiration for meeting future needs for housing, community facilities and space for jobs and recreation in an affordable way.
“We will consider if it is possible, with all the constraints, to build a new town in this century as good as Grantown.”
Bill Sadler, of the Grantown Society which is organising Grantown 250, said: “The conference, ‘New Grantown in its Scottish Settings’, will provide a significant contribution to the understanding of the growth of the modern Highlands.
“The speakers are all recognised authorities and will provide both an interesting and informative day for an audience interested in tourism, planning issues and the development of the Highlands and North East Scotland.
“Of special interest will be the comparison between the planning of New Grantown, illustrated by James Grant of Grant’s sketch on a scrap of paper and the current extensive and detailed planning of An Camas Mor Strathspey’s second planned town.”
The one day event, at the Grant Arms Hotel, takes place om June 25 and will also look at how James Grant founded Grantown, how planned towns across the region re-shaped rural landscapes, the role inland resorts play in Scotland’s tourism and much more.
To book at place on the conference visit www.grantown250.org. Tickets are £20 for a full day or £12 for a half day. Both include a light lunch and a guided tour of some Grantown’s historical sites.