The developer has approval to build 109 houses at the Carron Den at Mill of Forest Road but has been struggling to sell plots for large houses that can have up to five bedrooms.

The company now wants to reduce the size of the houses and build 160 homes on the site.

Norrie Quick, of Stewart Milne, told The Evening Express: “Basically at the moment they are big houses, but we have redesigned some of them to be smaller.

“Instead of 109 houses there will be 160, but they will be within the exact same area.

“Instead of one big house, there will be two smaller ones. When people are coming to the site they do not want to buy the bigger ones, but say they want a smaller home.

“There is a demand for more affordable, smaller housing and we want to change to that.”

Plans for the development were first lodged with Aberdeenshire Council in 2007.