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Scottish Rural New
Town - originally by Terry Farrell & Partners
Planning Authority: Highland Council
Development consortium: Whiteness Property Company Ltd
Elements: 2,000 homes, hotel, marina; other facilities
Location: four miles west of Nairn
Site: former McDermott oil fabrication yard
Designations: Moray Firth Special Area of Conservation + Inner Moray Firth
Special Protection Area
Highland Council planners approved outline permission for Whiteness Head
at Ardersier on the condition that "adequate controls on the marina
activity" and access are secured: still to be referred to Scottish
Ministers.
Given the go-ahead, the wilderness four miles west of Nairn would make
way for 1,950 homes, 25% of which would be affordable, a 120-bed hotel,
a marina for up to 500 yachts, primary school, community hall, health
centre and sports centre.
The development consortium, Whiteness Property Company Ltd, has promised
'nature conservation enhancement measures' including 'habitat creation'.
It would also demand a new waste water treatment works with further outfall
to the Moray Firth. It would take an estimated decade to build, starting
in 2008.
Moray Firth Special Area of Conservation is designated primarily for its
bottlenose dolphin interest, the Inner Moray Firth SPA principally common
tern and ospreys breeding in summer and bar-tailed godwits in winter.
It is also of international importance for waterfowl as well as being
a wetland of international importance, the reason for its wetlands designation
of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
The council's planning committee debated the proposals after a site visit
on 28 Nov 2006.
Ardersier - Highlands
buildings
View re Whiteness Head at Ardersier:
The logic of allowing major development in the countryside has to be questioned:
Inverness is apparently booming and we know urban centres have an intrinsic
sustainability - could development not be located there? There are acres
of boarded up houses in the Central Belt desperately requiring inward
investment - government should be cajoling development into these areas
- using grants, etc. - rather than allowing destruction of more of Scotland's
natural environment.
I'm sure the Ardersier development will be well-designed, even idyllic,
and it sounds like it will be carefully planned to restrict damage to
the habitat. But large gatherings of people, cars and buildings clearly
always create pollution to some degree. And locating them away from the
Central Belt will surely create lots of travelling, ie pollution.
Still, the site could be described as brownfield and thus has a correlation
to the generally positive Blindwells development in East Lothian that
is to cater for part of Edinburgh's expansion. If we do need more development
due to population pressure in the highlands it is better that it is located
in considered architect-designed towns - such as Tornagrain or Ardersier
- than pock-marking the hills and glens with ugly boxes.
What is your view? Do you think this represents an unacceptable risk to
the wildlife at Whiteness? Or do you think this development could be a
role model for contemporary Scottish towns? info@e-architect.co.uk
Castle
Stuart, Tornagrain : Highlands new community
World Architecture : e-architect
- a guide to key buildings across the globe
Whiteness Head Ardersier
context - Scottish architecture
Comments or building suggestions / photos for the Ardersier - Whiteness
Head page
welcome: info@e-architect.co.uk
Ardersier Buildings:
page - adrian welch / isabelle lomholt
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