The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
New town bursts into life
In advance of the first showhome opening, Susan Welsh enjoys a sneak peak at how work at the Highlands’ newest town, Tornagrain, is progressing
It had been spoken about for years, but in May this year history was made when the first foundations were laid for the new town at Tornagrain. Later this month, history will be made again when the first showhome from housebuilder ZeroC opens its doors to welcome in prospective buyers.
What they will discover is that this is no ordinary showhome, or indeed no ordinary development, because it’s much more than simply a housing development. Instead, it’s the first step in what developer Moray Estates hopes will become a new town, one that eventually – in perhaps 60 years’ time – will be around the same size as Nairn and home to just under 5,000 properties.
Tornagrain is reached via the roundabout on the A96 which also gives access to Dalcross Airport on the outskirts of Inverness, and is a short drive from both the city and the seaside town of Nairn. Plans are afoot to add a new railway station close by which makes it ideal for those looking to commute, while its easy access to the airport means that in the not too distant future you could be enjoying a mini-break in London or jetting off to the sun from your own doorstep.
Your Home was invited to visit, before the official opening of the ZeroC showhome, to see how things were progressing at Tornagrain, which will start life as a small village and expand over the years in planned phases to become a pretty town enjoying a rural setting.
What’s immediately noticeable is that, unlike other new-build sites, here every house is different to its next door neighbour as each street has a mixture of house types ranging from one-bedroom apartments to terraced, semi-detached and large detached homes.
Unusually, even the semi-detached houses are different with each half of the semi featuring a different layout and design – some are broader while some are longer. It’s a very clever design which means that each semi looks like a large detached house – you’d never guess that it’s actually a building housing two homes.
The showhome is a fourbedroom detached house which from the outside pays homage to the upmarket style of the Georgian era, complete with two chimney pots on the slate-covered roof. The windows are longer than they are wide and many feature modern versions of sash and case style. Accommodation here includes an entrance vestibule with coat cupboard, which leads to a large welcoming hall.
Step to the left and you’re into a lovely sitting room with windows/french doors on three walls which makes it a very bright space, while a lovely woodburning stove is an attractive feature. Across the hall there’s a smart dining kitchen – early bird buyers can select the type of units and tiles they want, while the kitchen also comes with built-in white goods. From the kitchen, there’s access to a hall with a good-size laundry/toilet. At the rear of this house there’s a substantial sun room, an extra which is available to most of the houses here.
Moving upstairs, the broad hall is brightly light thanks to a sun pipe. From here, there’s access to four bedrooms including the master bedroom with en