A commercial property lawyer has welcomed the approval of a plan that paves the way for development in north-eastern Scotland.

David Scott of Ledingham Chalmers LLP said the Aberdeenshire Local Development Plan (LDP) would give the local economy a "significant boost from the construction sector".

Development is set to include a new town near Newtownhill in Kincardine and Mearns.

The town will include 4,000 new houses and 11.5 hectares of land set aside for business use, to be built by 2023.

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A new school will be built in Laurencekirk, while Mintlaw is set to get a new business centre.

In total, 20,000 new homes will be built under the plans.

Mr Scott, who specialises in property, planning and renewable energy law, said the LDP would join with a similar plan in Aberdeen City to "kick-start healthy competition within the sector, after several years of persistent decline as the national economy has suffered. While these applications will take some time to pass through the administration, including local planning committees, I would estimate that we will see increased construction activity within six to 12 months. Any resurgence within the construction sector is dependent on the strength of the economy and continued demand for residential and commercial space – which has undoubtedly been the case throughout the north-east, where land values and demand have remained above national averages for more than a decade."

(NE)