The landmark application for An Camas Mòr comes 20 years after the project was first mooted by the village's community council as a way of allowing the local population to grow.

Mr Johnnie Grant, laird of Rothiemurchus Estate, on whose land the new settlement would be built, has predicted that the full development will be completed by 2027.

The application, made on Monday, sets out the vision of a new community based along a main street from which 1,500 houses and flats will be constructed on a collection of streets and wynds which feed off the main street at the centre of An Camas Mòr.

Mr Grant and his team of architects state that they have been inspired by a Medieval style of town planning seen when Scotland's first Royal Burghs were being built up to 800 years ago.

The construction of An Camas Mòr wil ease the pressure on local people to compete with second home owners from other areas who have inflated house prices in the area in recent years, they have said.

The layout of the village was designed by David Sim of Gehl Architects in Copenhagen, who was brought up in Linlithgow and has holidayed in Aviemore and the surrounding area.

"He has brought international experience together with affection and understanding of this area to the planning of An Camas Mòr," said Mr Grant.

"I think we have wanted to do something which is sensitive to its place," he added. "We have a deep-seated shortage of housing in this area which is affordable for local people – that is the driving force."

The planning report – which is now avialable on-line – provides a masterplan for the new community on 105 hectares of land to the east of the River Spey at Aviemore.

The estate said that the plans for 1,500 residential units would be subject to regular review, and includes provision for associated business, community facilities and infrastructure.

A team of urban designers, landscape architects, ecologists, surveyors, and many others have already worked on the scheme to date.

In a submission to Highland Council, Mr Grant added: "The team has been especially helped by Aviemore Community Council which initiated the proposal and has been determined and extraordinarily patient."

Mr John Grierson, chairman of the community council, noted that the creation of a community on this portion of land had originally been proposed by the community council in 1989 and that members had supported the principle from the start.

"We are grateful for the way in which the developer has included plenty of consultation in his process," Mr Grierson commented. "We have been kept very well informed and now we are looking forward to examining the plans in detail."

Local MP Danny Alexander urged the people of Aviemore and the wider area to study the proposal and get involved in the planning process by making their views known.

"This is a major proposal for the strath," he said. "There has already been considerable public consultation but I hope the local population will express their views, both positive and negative, on this in full, such is the importance of getting this right."

Mr Grant stated that upon a successful application for outline planning permission, his architectural and environmental teams would produce more detailed designs for buildings, roads and bridges.

These would allow a later application for detailed planning permission to be made.

That could contain details of how the new community would link with Aviemore's proposed new countryside park linking the two settlements.

* For more details on the application visit www.ancamasmor.com which was launched earlier today by the estate.

musgrove_g@spp-group.com

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