Revised plans for former Victoria Road School to create additional affordable housing

Grampian Housing Association has submitted revised plans to Aberdeen City Council which would see additional affordable homes created on the site of the former Victoria Road School in Torry.The site was purchased in 2019 by Grampian Housing Association which is working in partnership with Torry Development Trust (TDT) to create a residential-led mixed-use community regeneration project.Delays in progressing the project due to the Covid pandemic, well-documented construction cost increases and the ongoing deterioration in the condition of the buildings have, perhaps surprisingly, combined to create a new window of opportunity to create additional accommodation on the site.The revised planning application proposes 55 much-needed affordable homes, an increase from the previously consented 50 units. This is achieved by reconstructing an internal courtyard area over two storeys to provide a new upper floor and reconfiguration of the community facilities all of which creates the space for the five additional homes.The revised designs will retain all the principal elevations of the original school buildings and also reuse much of the existing granite. Damaged historic gables and other features will also be re-constructed using salvaged granite.Consent is already in place for a nursery and spaces for the local community to use. Options for additional offsite facilities adjoining the site are also being explored.