New Fraserburgh homes could influence future Aberdeenshire developments

An Aberdeenshire Council housing development in Fraserburgh, innovatively built with a focus on energy efficiency, was officially opened last week.Heritage Way, on the town’s Barrasgate Road, features 30 properties in a mixture of flats and houses, three of which have been designed for people with physical disabilities.The development was supported by a successful bid for funding from the Scottish Government’s Greener Homes Innovation Scheme.It was formally opened by minister for local government and housing, Kevin Stewart MSP, in a ceremony involving Provost of Aberdeenshire Councillor Bill Howatson, and chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s communities committee, Councillor Anne Stirling.The innovation scheme was established to support the promotion of energy-efficient housing using innovative methods of off-site construction and low-carbon technologies, in line with the Scottish Government’s Sustainable Housing Strategy.The low-carbon, low-energy flats and houses were designed by architect Gokay Deveci of Robert Gordon University and are finished in zinc. Energy use and consumption in six of the properties will be monitored by the university for 15 months, and it is expected the information will help inform future housing programmes developed by the council.