Working with Health and Social Care Moray, Springfield and Grampian Housing Association will deliver a mix of bungalows, terrace houses, cottage flats and apartments to suit a wide selection of the community in Elgin. The homes will be built for Grampian Housing Association with some of the properties designed to meet varying needs.

The project includes 12 apartments with two communal spaces within the development which have been designed for select people in the area with learning disabilities to offer a level of independence.

The apartments have been designed to create a supportive environment where the tenants can live independently with staff on hand to encourage key life skills. With the clever building design, there will be a communal space for the tenants to enjoy safely together and smart technology will be utilised with sensors and alarms in place.

Marie Burnell, from Health and Social Care Moray, said: “Working together with Springfield Partnership and Grampian Housing, we are able to secure high quality and accessible housing for people with learning disabilities.

“This is in line with both local and national strategies promoting housing opportunities and narrowing inequalities. Appropriate housing is crucial to helping people with learning disabilities achieve rights and ambitions of living safe and independent lives”.

Springfield Partnerships managing director Tom Leggeat said: “Amidst a national housing crisis and with Council’s facing capital funding cuts, it is more important than ever for us to collaborate with great partners like Grampian Housing Association to help meet the needs of our local community.

“This is especially the case on projects like these where we are able to adapt our designs to meet specific needs because of our flexible and a vast range of house styles.

“Projects like this will make a real difference to the people that will call this development home and we are pleased to work closely with Grampian and Health and Social Care Moray to help address the massive need for high quality affordable homes in the area.”

Grampian Housing Association Group CEO, Craig Stirrat, added: “The provision of high quality, energy efficient affordable homes are an essential element of an equitable and inclusive society. In particular, safe, secure homes and places enable people of all capabilities the opportunity to flourish and achieve wellbeing.

“We are therefore highly delighted to be working again with one of our key development partners, Springfield Partnerships, and Moray Council, to bring forward much needed tenure neutral new homes which will enable many more households in Elgin to live independently and comfortably within the community.”

Located within Elgin South, a new village on the edge of Elgin with a range of housing, open spaces, play parks and community infrastructure, the new homes will be close to local amenities.

The much-needed affordable homes will be highly energy efficient, utilising innovative air source heating technology which will keep running costs low for the residents with a minimal impact on the environment. Built using timber frames at Springfield’s offsite timber factory and with thick layers of quality insulation, the homes have been designed to retain heat, again contributing to reduced running costs for the residents.

Construction work on the affordable homes is already underway and planning for the apartments to suit varying needs is expected in the coming weeks.