The prospectus has been produced to provide developers with a collective list of available sites which have been allocated within Aberdeenshire Council’s Local Development Plan.

Its main focus is around sites allocated for housing – though some mixed allocations have been included – and gives an overview of more than 60 individual sites, including settlement information, photographs and delivery considerations necessary to bring a site forward.

Developed by the council’s Delivery Team, the prospectus uses Storymaps to provide site commentary and informative data covering four different categories – from small scale housing sites allocated for up to 10 houses, to large scale developments allocated for more than 100 houses.

Aberdeenshire is currently home to around 262,000 people and, between 2001 and 2021, its population increased by 15.8%. Figures from the National Records of Scotland show that the north east’s population is expected to grow by a further 24% by 2039 – emphasizing the ever-increasing need for new housing. 

Cllr Alan Turner, chair of the council’s Infrastructure Services Committee, said: “Aberdeenshire has a wealth of sites currently lying undeveloped but which, with investment, could be transformed to really bolster housing capacity across the region. The principal focus of the Prospectus is to aid the delivery of the allocated sites within our Local Development Plan and our Delivery Team is on hand to discuss the sites with interested developers.”

Vice-chair Cllr Isobel Davidson added: “We would very much welcome discussions on bringing forward any of these allocated housing sites for development. The prospectus is an excellent tool for promoting the wealth of housing development opportunities in the region and eliminates any guesswork for potential investors.”