Proposals for the next phase of a radical scheme to create a new village in the north-east have been lodged with Aberdeenshire Council.
Plans to create a £13million village on the site of a former hospital were approved in 2009 when a consortium envisioned transforming the facility into homes, shops and businesses.
Councillors originally signed off on the scheme which could see the construction of up to 80 homes at the site, near Banff.
And plans for the fourth phase of the development – creating 15 homes at the site – have now been put forward.
Aberdeen firm Knight Frank has lodged the scheme on behalf of the consortium.
In its planning statement, submitted alongside the application, a spokesman urged the local authority to sanction the development.
He stated: “The application proposals will help address the need for affordable housing in the Banff area.
“We would ask that favourable consideration be given to Ladysbridge Village Limited’s proposals for additional housing at Ladysbridge and that their application for planning permission be approved.”
As part of the venture, the land’s owner has indicated a willingness to enter into a legal agreement to deliver a community building at the site in the future.
Ladysbridge Hospital, which is set in 36 acres of land, closed in 2003.
It treated people with a number of learning difficulties, many of whom still live in the area.
They will come together this summer to launch a special art project to examine the history of the hospital as well as examining how social perceptions have changed over the years.
It will be unveiled as part of Learning Disability Week in May.
Elizabeth Gibson, executive director of Project Ability which is fronting up the drive alongside the charity C-Change, said: “The story of how people with learning disabilities were treated in the not-too-distant past is a reminder of how much society has changed and how people with learning disabilities contribute to our communities.”
The Heritage Lottery Fund awarded the scheme funding earlier this week.
