Members of Moray Council’s communities committee unanimously agreed to accept a tender from Springfield Properties to build the homes at Glassgreen on the south of Elgin.

The properties will be a mix of one to five bedroom houses and bungalows, with some equipped to be wheelchair accessible.

The development, which is funded equally by Moray Council and the Scottish Government, is part of the council’s commitment to build 70 new homes a year to address the shortage of affordable housing in the area.

Chair of the communities committee, Cllr Louise Laing, said the new homes will also address fuel poverty.

“The heating and energy requirements from these homes will be as efficient as we can make it,” she said.

“They will all have state of the art systems that will result in low running costs for our tenants, and I’m delighted to see that some will be purpose-built for those in wheelchairs or who are elderly. It is far more cost-efficient to build these facilities in from the start rather than retro-fit.”

Work is expected to start on site shortly.