There seems to be a lot of housing developments springing up in the North East over the past months: including Chapelton. In recent weeks, two further developments have been granted planning permission in principle: for the Rowett South site at Bucksburn, and for Loch of Loirston.

While infrastructure details are still to be approved for the plans to build 1,067 homes at the Loch of Loirston, as well as a traveller halting spot, developers Hermiston Securities are planning to start work on site by late October.

The Rowett South plans are larger, with the plan including 1,700 houses, retail and commercial provision as well as education, leisure and community uses.

This forms part of the wider Newhills expansion area – which, as you may remember, was allocated in the Aberdeen Local Development Plan in 2012 for residential development. For those a little foggy on the details, a total of 4,400 homes are earmarked for the Newhills area, which is divided into three separate sites, Craibstone South, Rowett South and Greenferns Landward.

Locals may know that the Rowett South site is actually owned by the University of Aberdeen, which tabled the plans and is working with Bon Accord Land Promotion to develop it.

Following stipulations from the council, the plans include the provision of 25% of affordable housing, as well as financial contributions towards a traveller site, provision of land for a new primary school and funding towards a secondary school and community facilities.

Opposite the two-story high primary school (set to be located in the Hopetoun Grange area) will be a full-sized football pitch – earlier plans had included TWO such pitches.

Healthcare facilities are also set to receive funding as part of the development, with plans set to accommodate a health centre with a doctor’s surgery for 14 GPs and a six-chair dentist surgery.

You may be wondering when work for this exciting development will be getting underway. A date has not been set yet, but this could be because a limit has already been put on the number of houses which can be built before the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) is finished, with only 175 properties allowed to be built in Rowett South before the expected completion date of spring 2017.