Minister for Housing praises affordable homes development in Tornagrain
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The Minister for Housing praised the development in the new Highland town of Tornagrain in a visit yesterday to mark its latest construction phase.
Paul McLennan was given a tour of Tornagrain and the latest introduction of 68 properties which include 12 homes for social rent, 17 for mid-market rent, and 12 for shared equity.
Construction is also set to begin on a further 40 affordable homes later this year.
During his visit, Mr McLennan said: “I was pleased to visit the new Places for People Scotland development in Tornagrain, and see the impact of the Scottish Government’s £4 million investment toward the delivery of 66 affordable homes.
“This is a very impressive development and as it grows it should continue to deliver many of the ambitions set out in our Housing to 2040 strategy. Working in partnership with Highland Council and Places for People Scotland we are creating a community within which people can live, work and thrive.
“Everyone should have access to a safe, warm and affordable home and have a choice about where they live, no matter what tenure they live in. This is why we have made £3.5 billion available over this parliamentary term, towards the delivery of affordable and social homes.”
Moray Estates owns the land and has been building Tornagrain since 2018, with expansion plans in place over the next five decades.
In June 2022, the new town celebrated a key milestone with a total of 250 homes built in the area.
It is expected that by 2060, the town will be home to more than 10,000 people – a town similar in size to Nairn or Forres.
A cafe, shop and pharmacy have been built in the community.
However, concerns were raised on service provision for the growing town – particularly as it was announced that a new primary school for Tornagrain is not due to be delivered before 2030 and the risk of overcrowding in nearby schools.
Culloden and Ardersier councillor, Trish Robertson said: "Tornagrain is growing and has already a good community ethos.
"We are limited in how many houses we can build in a year due to the number of construction workers available. Outside workers need accommodation and we are short of available accommodation.
"Highland Council have applied for funding for the new school, (LEIP3) for which an announcement has been delayed for almost a year.
"The Scottish Government has recognised the need for housing but delay in building new schools is causing capacity issues in our existing schools - in this case Culloden Academy and Croy Primary Schools."
On the day the Minister was given a tour of the new community by representatives for Places for People Scotland, who are one of the main developers delivering a range of homes for private sale and affordable housing for sale and rent.
Initial development phases at Tornagrain comprised primarily of homes for private sale, the community infrastructure and amenities.
A total of 5,000 homes, open green space, local shops and services within walking distance are planned for the town in coming years.
Managing director of at Places for People Developments Scotland, Roddy Mcdonald, explains: “The Tornagrain community has been carefully planned to enable the people who live here to make more sustainable choices. This has been done this by creating spaces for shops and local amenities, well thought out travel links, and open spaces to play and socialise. This contemporary community exemplifies the 20-minute neighbourhood principles, which promote sustainability and are reflective of what people are looking for.”
The design for Tornagrain has been created with a blind tenure principle in mind to combat stigma around social housing.
Director of Places for People Scotland, Katie Smart, said: “In Scotland we strive to be a fair and equal society, but unfortunately long-standing misconceptions about social housing persist.
"We believe that designing social and affordable homes to look different from other homes within a development only perpetuates this stigma and risks limiting the potential of the community and the people who live within it.”
