Work to start as Aberdeen Council gives green light to 3000 home Countesswells site

Countesswells will comprise 3,000 homes, of which 750 will be affordable, together with the infrastructure needed to support the new settlement, including schools, employment land, parks, and leisure and healthcare facilities.

The development will be phased over 15 years with a total capital value of approximately £1 billion, boosting the local economy and supporting construction jobs in the north east.

Facilities within the community will include a new secondary school and two primary schools healthcare facilities, employment zones, retail and leisure, together with high quality open spaces linking the community to the existing environmental resources at Countesswells and Hazlehead. The project will also include upgraded access roads.

With final preparations being made for work to begin on site, two new appointments have been announced to support its delivery. Allan McGregor has been appointed as project manager and Claire Burt as community liaison officer for the development.

Allan’s career began in 1987 with Glasgow based civil engineering consultancy firm Crouch & Hogg and following a directorship with Glasgow design consultant Woolgar Hunter managing infrastructure projects he moved into public/private development management in 2005 with Robertson Group and Morgan Sindall Group plc.

He will support the Countesswells Project Director, Jim Fitzsimons, in the delivery of the major enabling infrastructure works and site servicing provision required to meet the needs of the new community. It is anticipated that there will be three major phases of development at Countesswells and one of Allan’s roles will be to manage the staging of the infrastructure through the initial years of the project and the long-term development programme.

Claire will be the primary communications link, providing information to local residents, members of the public and other stakeholders, ensuring that up to date and accurate information on aspects such as traffic and travel information is available throughout the project.

She has a strong background in community engagement, having worked in various public sector organisations as well as Stagecoach and BAA, liaising with local residents, user groups and community stakeholders.

The new community will deliver facilities that will benefit both residents and the surrounding communities while also making an important contribution to the local economy by supporting construction jobs over its lifetime and meeting a significant proportion of the city’s housing requirements over the coming years.