A proposal for 400 new homes at Persley Den, on the site of the former Woodside mill, has been submitted by the Persley Den Consortium, led by GSS Developments.

The development plans have been prepared by architects Halliday Fraser Munro and include "a village-style development with a clear hierarchy of streets and green spaces similar to routes and streetscapes found in Old Aberdeen and Cottown of Balgownie."

A ‘high street’, lanes, mews and courts, will be enveloped by landscaping, tree belts and cycle routes to create a New Donside village which follows the pattern of earlier settlements along the Don Valley.

Following an extensive period of consultation, the masterplan for Persley Den was recently adopted by Aberdeen City Council as supplementary planning guidance. The planning application meets the objectives of Aberdeen City Council’s Local Development Plan and has been adapted to match the aspirations of local communities following a series of public consultations and meetings.


The developers said work to upgrade road access points will alleviate any concerns about increased traffic levels and sporting organisations will also benefit from a provision of an off-site full size 3G artificial football pitch, which has the support of Sport Scotland.

Paul Stevenson, director of GSS Developments, said: "Aberdeen has a real issue with the lack of properties available to buy and rent in the city, which has a knock-on effect on recruitment and attracting skilled people to the north east. Persley Den will go a considerable way to easing the city’s accommodation crisis, and by including an unprecedented percentage of affordable homes in the proposals, we are meeting the needs of both potential home owners and those families which prefer to rent.

"The Aberdeen Local Development Plan requires 21,000 new homes to be constructed by 2030 to address population growth in the north east and our proposal is a modest part of the house building jigsaw which will meet that ALDP objective.

"The inclusion of the latest 3G style artificial turf pitch will be a first class off-site amenity at the disposal of the local community and will double the capacity of the existing provision, which is poorly maintained and suffers from drainage issues."

GSS Developments said that if planning permission is approved, construction work would start within 12 months and completed in a phased basis over three years.

(MH/IT)