Yesterday we revealed that the housebuilder signed a £10.1 million contract with the local authority for the delivery of affordable housing.

The development is part of Moray’s Growth Deal and is being funded by Moray Council and the Scottish Government as part of its £7.5 million Housing Mix Delivery project to deliver up to 300 affordable homes across the region, including Elgin, Forres, Speyside and the Buckie coastal area. The Scottish Government provided an additional investment of £5.3m for the £10.1m Speyview site.

Speyview will include a broad mix of house types, which aim to meet the needs of the Aberlour community and the wider Speyside area. These range from one-bedroom cottage flats; two-bedroom accessible bungalows for those with mobility issues; and three to five-bedroom houses to relieve overcrowding.

The Aberlour site will benefit from significant infrastructure improvements, including a new junction onto the A95. The approved planning application had a number of additional conditions placed on it including installation of new active travel links; laybys and bus stops; fencing and barriers for safety; and a travel pack will be provided to all residents to ensure safe use of all options.

Construction of the junction improvements will start this month and is expected to take three months with housing foundations to follow.

Chair of Moray Council’s economic development and infrastructure committee, Councillor Marc Macrae, said: “This is a significant milestone, not only in the Aberlour project, but the wider Growth Deal. The progression is a great achievement for all the teams involved. I congratulate them on reaching this point and look forward to seeing tenants in their new homes in winter 2025/26.”

Scottish Government minister for housing, Paul McLennan, added: “I am pleased that new affordable homes are to be delivered on the Speyview development in Aberlour. Backed by over £5 million of Scottish Government funding, this project will have a hugely positive impact for the community and once these 39 homes are built, they will provide a good mix of housing options for people who live and work in Aberlour.

“Good quality housing is essential to attract and retain people in our communities. Our commitment to deliver 110,000 affordable homes, of which at least 70% will be for social rent and 10% in our rural and island communities, is backed up by our Rural and Islands Housing Action Plan.”

Chair of Moray Council’s housing and community safety committee, Councillor Amber Dunbar, commented: “This investment has the potential to unlock a further 31 affordable homes in a future phase of construction, so I’m delighted to see the development contributing to our commitment to increasing affordable housing in Moray. I wish the construction team and council project teams the best for a smooth build and I can’t wait to see the progress of this new community within Aberlour.”

Springfield Partnerships managing director, Tom Leggeat, said: “We are delighted to work with Moray Council on the delivery of these high quality and energy efficient homes in this area.

“Moray Council is a long-standing partner of ours and together we have already delivered hundreds of homes for people that need them across Moray and we’re looking forward to making a start on site at Speyview in the coming weeks.”