Ballater,
Dutch Housing (completed 2004)
As
a condition of Aberdeenshire Council’s planning consent to build at
Invercauld
Park,
Scotia Homes had to provide land
free of charge to build affordable housing. The
£715,000 pilot project by Tenants First Housing Co-operative, with
support from Communities Scotland, has provided homes for five local
families using
an innovative Dutch construction method for the first time in the UK.
The
three-bedroom properties have been built using a well-tested, streamlined
building method, which is regularly used on the continent. The
construction technique benefits both the builder and the customer, with
quicker building times, lower building costs and more energy-efficient
properties. The walls and
roofs were fabricated in the
Netherlands
and so using this method, affordable homes, such as
these, can be built in less than three months.
The homes are flexible in
design with no internal load-bearing walls, with a downstairs bedroom and
toilet.
The
pilot project has also been taken on by the Scottish Construction Forum (SCF)
as an example of excellence. The SCF is an industry led initiative which
aims to drive forward improvements in Scotland’s construction sector and seeks to encourage best
practice, improve research and increase communication across the sector.
Tenants
First were also delighted that this project also received an "Award for Excellence" from the Tayside
Grampian and Fife forum of Housing Associations.
Ballater
is a picturesque rural town on Royal Deeside, with a range of facilities
including a health clinic, post office, shops, hotels, guest houses and
restaurants. The town has a strong community spirit, and prides itself on
its clubs and leisure activities.
There
is a primary school in Ballater itself. The nearest secondary school is in
Aboyne, about 11 miles away. There are public transport links to the east
to Aberdeen, and to the west to Braemar.
The
development was officially opened 21 January by Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld,
who performed the opening ceremony and met the new tenants. Those
attending the opening event were also shown a video of the building
process in addition to a tour of the development.
You
can see photographs of the construction work being carried out by visiting
our Ballater Pictures page. We
also have a Question & Answer
page for this development.
A
report from Communities Scotland is also available for viewing on the Study
Report pages.
