Plans for a £70million redevelopment of the former Woodside Mill site in Aberdeen have been tabled with the city council.
Developers behind the Persley Den scheme said yesterday that the proposals will help to address a chronic shortage of accommodation in the city.
The 400-house project includes 250 private properties along with 150 affordable homes, a split which equates to nearly 40% low-cost housing, well above the local authority’s target of 25% for new developments.
The planning application has been submitted by the Persley Den Consortium, led by city-based GSS Developments, following a public consultation period.
Paul Stevenson, director of GSS Developments, said the affordable homes would be aimed at the “mid-market” rental sector.
He said: “Aberdeen has a real issue with the lack of properties available to buy and rent in the city, which has a knock-on effect on recruitment and attracting skilled people to the north east.
“Persley Den will go a considerable way to easing the city’s accommodation crisis, and by including an unprecedented percentage of affordable homes in the proposals, we are meeting the needs of both potential home owners and those families which prefer to rent.”
High property costs have been blamed for problems experienced in the public sector in filling vacancies.
Both NHS Grampian and Aberdeen City Council have appealed to the Scottish Government for assistance, requesting a London-style “weighting” allowance to help staff with the high cost of living in the north-east.
Architects Halliday Fraser Munro prepared a “masterplan” for the Woodside site, based on a village-style development with a layout of streets and green space similar to that in Old Aberdeen or Cottown of Balgownie.
The planning application was adjusted following the consultation period. The developers said work to upgrade road access points should alleviate concerns about increased traffic levels, while local sports groups would also benefit from a provision of an off-site, full-size artificial football pitch, backed by Sport Scotland.
Concerns had been raised previously about the potential loss of playing fields in the area.
Mr Stevenson added: “The inclusion of the latest 3G style artificial turf pitch will be a first class off-site amenity at the disposal of the local community and will double the capacity of the existing provision, which is poorly maintained and suffers from drainage issues.”
GSS Developments said that if planning consent is granted, construction work would start within 12 months and completed over a three year period. The application is expected to be considered by the council’s development management sub-committee at a later date.