SCOTTISH builder Springfield Properties has been chosen as the development partner for the first phase of An Camas Mòr, the innovative new community planned for the Cairngorms National Park.

The Elgin-based developer will join the An Camas Mòr consortium, led by Rothiemurchus Estate, with the responsibility for delivering the initial phase of this proposed new community comprising 80 affordable homes, 95 homes for private sale, 25 self build plots and community services.

Springfield’s role will be to finalise the masterplan for homes, business, community facilities and associated infrastructure and build the first homes according to the Proposed Masterplan Report and the terms of the decision by the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) to award Planning Permission in Principle.

An Camas Mòr, 200 acres lying within Rothiemurchus Estate to the east of the River Spey at Aviemore, will be a new community to include up to 1,500 residential units as well as opportunities for business and jobs and community facilities.  

The CNPA gave unanimous approval for the plans in principle last June.  An Camas Mòr is one of the 11 projects included in the Scottish Government’s Sustainable Communities initiative which encourages inspirational developments serving as exemplars of the highest quality.

The announcement is a major boost for expansion-focused Springfield, which has built over 2,000 homes in the North and North East of Scotland over the last decade.

Springfield chairman Sandy Adam said: “We know that An Camas Mòr is a project which is vital for the local community in Aviemore and the Highlands as a whole but one that has international significance for Scotland.

“At Springfield we have established a thriving business that not only builds quality homes but considers people and communities first and foremost.  We will bring that ethos to An Camas Mòr.

“We know that this development will have to meet the highest, most exacting standards. We are committed to working with the community, Rothiemurchus Estate and the Cairngorms National Park Authority to deliver a new village that is fully in harmony with this uniquely beautiful and special landscape.

“The landscape will shape this development, not the other way around.”

Johnnie Grant, of Rothiemurchus Estate, said: “The vision for An Camas Mòr was first expressed by Aviemore & Vicinity Community Council in 1989 and with Aviemore now reaching its natural limits and the CNPA decision in principle it’s time to start. We will continue to work with the Community Council to ensure An Camas Mòr reaches the standards befitting Rothiemurchus, the Cairngorms National Park and this special place in which I was born, brought up and have worked for most of my life. It is encouraging that the Estate, Springfield and David Sim of Gehl Architects all have the same aim for An Camas Mòr - the creation of ‘a good habitat for people”, a place that will be a flourishing and resilient neighbourhood.

“We have chosen to work with Springfield because they are committed to sharing responsibility for the challenges of establishing a new community fit for Rothiemurchus and a National Park. They have a track record as an excellent provider of homes and facilities and they are successfully delivering affordable homes in today’s economy; we are delighted to welcome their team.”

An Camas Mòr was originally proposed by the Aviemore and Vicinity Community Council as the solution to a chronic shortage of new housing, business premises and community facilities for local people.

It is expected that work can start on site in Spring 2012.

For further information on Springfield Properties, please contact The BIG Partnership:

Kelly Paterson: 0141 333 9585 / 07882 152914
Lisa McGhee: 0141 333 9585 / 07921 333829

For further information on  Rothiemurchus, please contact Rock Solid PR:

Charlotte Kissack: 01479 898001/07834 871707 charlotte@rocksolidpr.co.uk

The An Camas Mòr Proposed Masterplan Report and Environmental Impact Assessment can be seen on www.ancamasmor.com

Ends

About Springfield Properties:

• Springfield Properties is a family-owned company established in Elgin in 1956. Working in house-building and construction, it is the lead company in a group of firms operating in the property sector.
• The company has built over 2000 homes since 1998, delivering high-quality private and social housing across the north of Scotland.
• Under the leadership of Sandy Adam, grandson of the founder of Springfield, the company has grown to become one of Scotland’s largest independently-owned house builders.
• In 2005, Springfield was recognised by the Virgin Atlantic Sunday Times Fast Track list as Scotland's fastest growing, profitable, private company.

About An Camas Mòr

An Camas Mòr is on the opposite bank of the River Spey to Aviemore in the Cairngorms National Park.  Having grown from an inn and a farm to a railway junction in the 19th century, Aviemore started to expand again rapidly in 1960 following investment in the Cairngorm Mountain Ski area. Since then the area has become an all year round destination which is very attractive for tourism businesses. However, this growth was not planned and the village has now grown to fill its setting. There has been a long term Council vision for a new planned settlement to be formed across the river, brought together by a Countryside Park. Rothiemurchus Estate, the Community Council, The Highland Council and the Cairngorms National Park Authority are working together to make this happen.

About Rothiemurchus

“Rothiemurchus, gateway to the Cairngorms, has become a name which is etched deep in the consciousness of Scotland and which holds an exceptional place in the natural history of the nation” Magnus Magnusson

For centuries nature and people have lived in harmony in Rothiemurchus. At its heart lies one of the largest areas of natural forest in Britain with the extraordinary variety of wildlife that depends on it to survive. This amazing environment is in such excellent condition today due to the dedication of the Grants of Rothiemurchus and other local families, that have protected and cared for the forest for four hundred and fifty years.
Today, any surplus that this family owned estate earns from activities, car parking, shops, farming, forestry and other commercial activities is spent on the care of the estate to enable sustainable stewardship of the forest for wildlife to thrive and you to enjoy.
Rothiemurchus Estate is supporting both An Camas Mòr and the proposed new Aviemore Countryside Park including the River Spey that would bring the two communities together.

1. Project Resonance - making housing affordable.
2. Energy Use Reduction - lowering the carbon foootprint.

An Camas Mòr LLP is interested in hearing from people who want to make their home, as well as businesses that might be interested in locating, here. To respond please click here