A proposed housing development in Boat of Garten, in the Cairngorms National Park, has been granted Planning in Principal.

The Communities Housing Trust (CHT) have been working with the Boat of Garten community for a number of years to get to this stage.

The land has been made available by the Reidhaven Estate and CHT will develop 2 accessible homes for affordable rent, and the Estate who are CHT's development partner, will provide 2 self-build open market plots.

It was identified early on that there was a lack of affordable rented accommodation for older people in the village and this development will provide 2 wheelchair accessible bungalows aimed at helping older people stay in the community without the need to move away. The site just off Deshar Road is close to the local shops and post office.

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Boat of Garten has a high concentration of people over 65 and surrounding areas, and also a high percentage of housing which is classed as a second home or holiday let - 25.1% of all homes according to the 2011 census - which is significantly higher than the national (1.5%) and regional (5.7%) averages.

CHT's affordable homes provided in this development would be let in perpetuity at an affordable level of social equivalent rent, and our allocation policy prioritises people with local live or work connections.

As part of the planning conditions for the development, new planting of native broadleaf trees in two separate sites on Reidhaven Estate land elsewhere in Boat of Garten will be undertaken, three times the size of the development.

This project illustrates the benefits of private landowner collaboration with communities and we are extremely pleased this project can now progress to the next stage.