The Findrassie housing development in the north of Elgin is one of the largest and most ambitious currently under construction.
An incredible 1,650 new homes, a new primary school, retail units and dozens of new roads are due to be built over the next 20 to 25 years.
If you drive out the A941 Elgin to Lossiemouth road regularly, you can’t fail to notice the construction that has already started.
However, that is only a tiny portion of what will become almost an entire new community in the north of Elgin.
The Press and Journal has prepared this guide of everything you need to know about the Findrassie housing development in Elgin, including;
- Which land has been earmarked for development and which developers are involved.
- Where the new primary school is planned to be built and when it is likely to open.
- How much money Moray Council is receiving to make vital improvements.
- The upgrades planned for the transport network in Elgin to help the town cope with new housing at Findrassie.
- How trailblazing Moray women have inspired street names in the new development.
How far does Findrassie housing development extend?
The Findrassie housing development has been spearheaded by Pitgaveny Estates with Moray Council and extends over what is currently predominantly farmland.
In total, the site extends to a massive 135 hectares, which is about a quarter of the size of the entire RAF Lossiemouth base.
It begins on the current northern boundary of Elgin and extends nearly a mile towards Lossiemouth.
The entire site is spread between the A941 Lossiemouth road to the east and the B9012 Duffus road to the west.
Who is building the Findrassie houses?
While Pitgaveny Estates is the principal landowner, construction of the Findrassie houses themselves are being undertaken by different developers.
Barrat Homes and David Wilson Homes have already started building homes, with planning permission already secured for more.
Meanwhile, Inverness-based Rennie Property Consultants is advertising commercial plots for sale or lease.
Planning permission was secured in 2022 for an initial 202 homes, 67 affordable homes, three play parks and 570sqm of retail commercial space for a site next to the Lossiemouth road.
Further planning permission was secured in October this year for 111 homes, 37 affordable homes to the west of the site currently under construction.
Moray Council planning rules dictate that at least 25% of the new homes will be classed as affordable.
Meanwhile, initial proposals have already been submitted for land bordering the Duffus road, which has not been approved for development yet.
When will new primary school for Elgin open at Findrassie?
A new primary school is planned as part of the housing development.
It is expected to be named Findrassie when it opens.
Bishopmill Primary in the north of Elgin is the school in Moray closest to capacity with the latest Scottish Government figures showing it is 95.7% full.
Meanwhile, neighbouring Seafield Primary is also approaching capacity at 78.3%.
Initially it was expected that the new Findrassie Primary would open at the end of 2025 to help reduce the burden on schools in the area.
However, in 2023 Moray Council decided to delay the construction of the 450-capacity. This was due to worries about the increasing cost against a £16.9 million budget.
Long-term projections by the local authority have also indicated a declining number of primary school places will be needed in the north of Elgin until 2030.
The decision to delay construction on the new school is due to be reviewed annually.
Will there be any new shops, health and community facilities at Findrassie?
Construction has already begun on a building, which is intended to have retail units on the ground floor with flats above.
Approved plans explain it will contain “small shops” to serve the convenience needs of the new community.
Documents show there will be one larger unit with at least three small units with retail, hospitality, financial and professional services all listed as possible occupants.
Masterplan blueprints have also outlined another central area in the wider site which could contain a row of shops and commercial units.
Meanwhile, a “community hub” has also been proposed as part of the development, which could contain small business units, workshop space, a farm shop and childcare or a nursery.
An “employment zone” on the eastern edge of the Lossiemouth road is currently being marketed for serviced and new-build business units.
Initial plans approved by Moray Council also included provision for a hotel to be built.
Revealed: The £3 million being paid to Moray Council to fund vital Elgin improvements
Moray Council has signed a legal agreement with landowners that requires payments to be made to the local authority.
The fees, known as “developer obligations”, are commonplace in major planning developments and are designed to help the local authority cope with the extra demand on its services.
Below is the breakdown of how much Moray Council is being paid to help cope with the new Findrassie housing development in Elgin.
According to the legal agreement, the payments will be made in phases once the number of houses reach certain milestones.
- Primary school education: £1,457,300
- Secondary school education: £960,050
- Health care: £476,450
- Transport: £304,200
- Sports pitch: Provide a new grass sports pitch and changing facilities with maintenance plan to be agreed with council.
- Primary school site: Provisions to ensure Moray Council’s contractors can access the site for construction of the proposed primary school and the building can access water and power supplies.
Money paid as part of the agreement is kept in a holding account separate from Moray Council’s regular finances. This is to ensure it can only be spent on the projects specified.
Upgrades planned to Elgin transport network to help cope with Findrassie
The legal agreement has also detailed the agreed improvements to the transport system that the money has to be used on.
The projects are included in Elgin’s transportation strategy, which was devised in the knowledge of Findrassie and other large housing developments.
- New north to south link road between Ashgrove Road and Maisondieu Road
- New Elgin Road, Edgar Road and Laichmoray junction improvements.
- Ashgrove Road cycle bridge.
- Station Road cycle lanes.
- Edgar Road pedestrian crossing improvements.
- Station Road/Maisondieu Road pedestrian crossing improvements.
- Improve pedestrian and cycle provision at A941 Elgin to Lossiemouth road/Lesmurdie Road junction.
Funding from the housing doesn’t necessarily need to pay for the entire transport project.
Similarly, money from other developer obligations or other pots can also be combined to complete the scheme.
Deadlines are attached to developer obligations, meaning if the money isn’t spent by a certain date it must be returned to the organisation that paid it.
The Moray women who have inspired Findrassie housing street names
Seven streets in the Findrassie housing development have been named after inspirational Elgin and Moray women.
The homes are part of the Barratt development next to the A941 Elgin to Lossiemouth road.
- Meg Farquhar Street: Meg Farquhar was the first professional golfer in Britain. At the age of just 19 she became the resident professional at Lossiemouth’s Moray Golf Club in 1929.
- Lavinia Malcolm Lane: Forres-born Lavinia Malcolm was a prominent suffragette. She became the first female to be elected to a local council in 1907. She later became the first female lord provost in Scotland in 1913.
- Ethel Fenwick Grove: Ethel Fenwick was born on the outskirts of Elgin and campaigned for safeguards in the nursing profession. Her work ensured professionals were registered with a nationally recognised certificate.
- Lady MacBeth Drive: Recognised as being the first queen of Scotland.
- Marjory Gilzean Parade: The mother of Major General Anderson, who raised her child in the ruins of Elgin Cathedral. Anderson amassed a vast fortune in his life. He left money as a legacy to form what is now Anderson’s care home.
- Isobel Gowdie Road: Made several detailed confessions to witchcraft in 1662 for unknown reasons.
- Kim Murray Court: Talented musician who conducted the Moray Music Festival and was made an MBE in 1971.
Read more from Elgin
- Is Elgin a long-established historic city or a large town? We try to clear up the confusion
- Why it was abandoned, how locals stole stonework for themselves, the man who cleared away centuries of neglect: The rise, fall and rise of Elgin Cathedral
- Everything you need to know about Dandy Lion: Elgin’s most colourful and divisive resident
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