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Bancon have a number of development options around Inverurie, and consider that the town holds the potential for continued growth, building upon the excellent range of town centre shops and services, and high quality of residential environment. The Aberdeen City and Shire Structure Plan, now approved by Scottish Ministers, seeks 6,500 houses in the Inverurie to Blackburn Strategic Growth Area (SGA). The image below shows how it is intended to break this down over the 23 year plan period. (click the image to download the approved Structure Plan.)
The SGA contains three main settlements, Inverurie, Kintore and Blackburn. Considering the LDP bids made in November 2008, there are sites offering in the region of 8,500 houses promoted by all parties. Whilst this offers Aberdeenshire Council a degree of flexibility in the first two plan periods (i.e. the scope of the current Local Development Plan Review), it is imperative that they plan for the long term, with a requirement for 4000 dwellinghouses, and associated infrastructure, proposed to be required between 2024 and 2030. In order to deliver this scale of development, a great deal of preparation work must be done now, and due to the apparent lack of large scale developer and landowner interest in Blackburn and Kintore, it seems logical that much of this growth will be directed to Inverurie.
Inverurie offers much in terms of potential, but it also lacks capacity in terms of roads infrastructure, and education capacity. It is clear from the development of the Structure Plan that the 6,500 houses is partly to enable the development of the required infrastructure improvements. There is a necessity for a second academy in the SGA, and also improved road access in and around Inverurie, where the A96T reduces from duel to single carriageway.
In recent years, development has taken place to the west of the A96, and to the East of the River Urie, but these are somewhat isolated developments, and offer little in the way of infrastructure improvements. Bancon endorse the Local Authorities long term vision, to seek infrastructure improvements in the short term, to be paid for over time through development and the ensuing developer contributions.
It has become apparent through traffic modelling that the proposed Eastern Link Road is a potential solution to traffic congestion, offering a link from Thainstone to the East of the River Urie, linking in with existing developments on that side of the river, and the Oldmeldrum Road. Ultimately, this road would link back across the River Urie, and join the A96 to the north of the town.
Bancon have three separate Local Development Plan bids in Inverurie, to the West, the North East and the East. We also control the land that enables the delivery of the proposed Eastern link road between the Thainstone roundabout and the Oldmeldrum Road. We believe that a combination of these development opportunities over the long term will enable the delivery of the required infrastructure to ensure the long term future of Inverurie as one of the most popular and attractive places to live and work in the North East.
Our Local Development Plan bids offer land for a considerable amount of development. To the North of the town, land is promoted for around 1200 houses, to the East we have made a bid for the relocation of the golf course, and a long term potential for up to 700 houses, and in the West, we have made a bid for up to 1000 houses on farmland and on the existing golf course land.
Please look at the Local Development Plan page for further details of these bids, and our suggested strategy for the town as a whole.