The Herald - The Herald Magazine
THE VOICE OF PROPERTY
IN the usual way of things, the plot comes before the house, however, there was nothing usual about an instruction recently received by rural property specialist firm, Baird Lumsden – to find a rural plot of land in Stirlingshire for a tiny bespoke eco house occupied by one person.
Built by Tiny ECO Homes UK, a Northumberland-based company that builds small environmentally friendly mobile homes on wheels which can be legally towed by drivers in the UK. Jennifer Campbell, head of Rural Agency at Baird Lumsden, explains: “Our client recognises her environmental responsibilities and has fulfilled a lifetimes ambition to live in an eco-house - and now we need to source a permanent home for it, ideally in Stirlingshire.
“Our client has a budget of up to £150,000 for the right plot of land.” Interested sellers who may have a suitable plot of land can contact Jennifer Campbell at Baird Lumsden on 01786 833 800 or email Jennifer.Campbell@dmhall.co.uk
NEWLY launched by Savills with an eye-watering asking price of offers over £7.5 million – which makes it the most expensive property in Scotland currently available on the open market – Dalhebity House is an extraordinary mansion house set in 10 acres of garden ground and woodland in Deeside.
More remarkable, this property is not old – it was created by a team of architects and craftsmen in 2009 on the site of Diana, Princess of Wales’s late grandmother’s former home, just seven miles from Aberdeen Airport.
The accommodation spans over 30,000 sq ft to include a grand hall, four reception rooms, eight informal rooms, eight bedroom suites, spa complex, indoor swimming pool, tennis court, garage block and staff apartment. Risking running out of superlatives, interior highlights include the marble-floored reception hall with 20 marble columns, grand marble horseshoe staircase, and domed stained-glass cupola; a formal banqueting-style dining room seating 26; an atmospheric library; and an amazing family space with custom-made walnut kitchen.
Upstairs is an upper gallery creatively designed with various relaxing zones – including a cocktail bar and reading lounge – while the stylish bedroom suites are all the height of luxury. In addition to the indoor swimming pool, the spa element has sauna and steam rooms.
Outside, accessed via a long, tree-lined drive,
the grounds display vast expanses of velvety lawn, paved terraces, a breeze hut (with deck and kitchen), summerhouse, and all-weather tennis court, while a European-style internal courtyard provides a sheltered sun trap.
LANDOWNERS have appealed to help resolve Scotland’s rural housing crisis – and asked the government to knock down the barriers that exist in providing new and existing homes.
Scottish Land & Estates, which held its annual conference in Edinburgh this week, said population decline and government ambition to improve rural housing will not be achieved because of long-standing issues on rural planning, infrastructure constraints, inflexibility on affordable housing models and a negative approach to private landlords.
The membership organisation highlighted results of a recent member survey, which revealed 22 per cent of properties could be lost to the market due to the burden of regulation, this includes six per cent, which have already been withdrawn. Landlords across the sector are also deeply concerned that there will be fewer homes available for tenants should changes to regulations on eviction procedures go ahead.
Addressing delegates at the event, Sarah-Jane Laing, SLE chief executive, said: “Since the inception of the Scottish Parliament, there has been a wide political consensus to improve the sustainability of our rural communities, but the stark reality is that we should be much further forward than we are now. We all share the goal of trying to increase the amount of rural housing but all too often that ambition is thwarted by delays in planning processes, lack of funding for private affordable homes, prohibitive infrastructure and utility costs and an ever-growing burden of private rented sector legislation.”