A £250million sustainable, mixed use development on the brownfield site at the former RAF Edzell airbase, already a popular business location for major international and local firms, has been announced.

Proposals for the 444 acre site include some 300 acres for business use to meet growing demand, with the remainder for up to 1,000 new homes to meet future housing supply needs in south Aberdeenshire.

The 10 to 15-year vision for the new community, to be called Newesk, is being led by local, family-owned business, Carnegie Base Services.

The Carnegie family aims to build on the already established business base in the area, with the potential to attract £250 million of investment and create over 1,000 new jobs.

Carnegie Base Services will be sharing its vision with residents and businesses in the community at a series of open events, beginning on December 14.

The aim of these events is to engage the community in shaping the draft masterplan for the settlement, which will form part of a planning application to be submitted in early 2011.

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David Carnegie said: "There is a serious shortfall of industrial land in both south Aberdeenshire and north Angus, and this development will help to not only address that but to deliver much-needed associated housing to meet the serious housing land supply in Aberdeenshire.

"Edzell's proximity to Dundee, Montrose and Aberdeen ensures reduced journey times for commuters – it is currently quicker to travel from Edzell to Aberdeen's southern periphery than to cross the city itself, from north to south, during peak times. The base offers immediately-available and serviced business land to support these three crucial, strategic ports as they urgently need nearby land to support emerging renewable and existing energy business opportunities.

"It is a brownfield site, with an established use for residential and business development, and as such can help to protect our greenbelt from encroachment due to the shortness of available land elsewhere in the vicinity.

"We have already begun the transformation of the former air base as a major business location, with tenants including PetersonSBS, Geokey, Hunting, Vetco Gray and Isabella’s Preserves."

With planning permission already in place for some 250 houses at the site, it is intended to create further residential properties to ensure that much-needed housing is developed to support the growth of businesses both at Edzell and throughout the wider regions of Aberdeenshire and Angus.

Linked directly to the development will be significant improvements to local infrastructure, including connection to mains water and sewerage works for the first time, for the adjacent settlement of Edzell Woods.

(GK)