A new housing development on the outskirts of a north-east town has been earmarked for approval by planners.
Springfield Homes applied for permission to build 94 properties on the land to the west of Golden Knowes Road in Banff.
The majority of the development would be for affordable housing and would include a mix of flats as well as semi-detached and terraced homes.
The proposed site for the project is in agricultural use and is part of a wider development of around 400 homes, community features and leisure and retail units.
A design statement from the Elgin-based developer outlined their vision.
It said: “The site in Banff extends to approximately 3.91 hectares and comprises an area of agricultural field immediately to the west of Banff beyond Golden Knowes Road.
“Located at the edge of the town, it features land nearby to the main A98 coastal road. Access will be provided from Golden Knowes Road to the east of the site.
“Springfield has a continued focus on sustainability, carbon reduction and customer energy saving through highly efficient building fabric specification, technology and renewable energy sources.
“The houses incorporate enhanced day lighting using large windows and natural ventilation as considered potentially greater value and more user-friendly than technologically driven techniques.”
There have been no public objections to the project, but planning bosses have made 14 recommendations to be met by the developer before potential construction work can begin.
These include connecting homes to the public water supply, laying out proposals for footpaths and samples of the material used to build the houses being made available.
A report by the council’s infrastructure chief, Stephen Archer, added that its waste management department had originally objected to the plans because the proposed pathways were “not suitable” for bin lorries.
But he said: “The developer has amended the plan and this has been sent to waste services to review.
“It is considered the proposed development complies with the relevant policies within the Aberdeenshire Local Development Plan, subject to the appropriate conditions.”
Members of the Banff and Buchan area committee will discuss the plans on Tuesday.
