AVC PR Partnership

Aberdeen College and Devanha Ltd, a partnership of North-east housing associations, have confirmed plans for a new college campus in the Donside Urban Village at the former Donside Paper Mill, in the Tillydrone area of Aberdeen.

The plans would see Aberdeen College relocate most of its city centre facilities to a new riverside campus within the Donside Urban Village. An indicative figure of £40 million has been given for the development. The site of the proposed college campus was originally suggested as a potential site for a hotel.

Planning permission for the housing development in the Donside Urban Village was granted by Aberdeen City Council in April this year. The 25-acre brownfield site was approved for 278 new homes, making it the largest affordable home development ever seen in North East Scotland.

Commenting on the proposal to develop a college campus as part of the village, Aberdeen College Principal Rae Angus said:
“The College is keen to replace most of its city centre site and the location at Donside is an excellent opportunity. We look forward to working with Tenants First to bring the matter to a successful conclusion in the very near future.”

Sandy Murray, Chief Executive of Tenants First Housing Co-operative, which is leading the Donside Urban Village development on behalf of the Devanha partners, said:

“We are delighted that Aberdeen College is proposing to develop their new campus as part of the Donside Urban Village. From the outset we have placed great emphasis on making sure Donside Urban Village was genuinely sustainable and that it provided employment opportunities within the community.

“Aberdeen College is not only a major employer, the development of a new campus is a prestigious development that will certainly bring significant benefits for Donside Urban Village and the regeneration of the Tillydrone area of the city.”

The former Donside Paper Mill site was purchased by Devanha Ltd in 2007 with support from the Scottish Government. The Donside Urban Village is being developed on behalf of four housing associations within Devanha – Tenants First Housing Co-operative, Aberdeenshire Housing Partnership and Grampian and Langstane housing associations.

It will be a mixed tenure development providing affordable homes along with some for private purchase. To ensure the village has a life of its own, the plans include office space, business start up units and provision for neighbourhood shops.

A proposed hydro-electric plant on the old mill lade would produce around twice the electricity needed for the village. The homes will also feature solar water heating along with particularly high levels of insulation. The construction materials have been chosen for their low energy usage.

Donside Urban Village

For further information:

Ken McEwen
AVC PR Partnership
Tel 01467 633667 or 01224 248007
Mobile 07768 105449
kmcewen@avcmedia.com

Lynsey Shepherd
AVC PR Partnership
Tel 01224 248007
lynsey@avcmedia.com

Sandy Murray, Chief Executive
Tenants First
Tel 01224 628400
Mobile 07875 374116
smurray@tenantsfirst.com

Rhonda Fraser
Aberdeen College
Tel 01224 612221
Mobile 07989 547353
r.fraser@abcol.ac.uk

ISSUED ON BEHALF OF DEVANHA LTD BY
AVC PR PARTNERSHIP LTD

Islanders on the Isle of Barra were amid celebrations yesterday, (December 02, 2008) as the remote community was crowned the Calor UK Village of the Year 2008 in London.

The island community scooped the overall UK and Scottish competition titles at a prestigious awards ceremony at London’s Guildhall.

“This is a massive achievement for the Western Isles community,” said Calor Village of the Year Manager Suzanne Weir. “Barra has beaten hundreds of rural communities from the length and breadth of the UK to be crowned the first ever Calor UK Village of the Year 2008. The community is an excellent example of how to make the most out of rural living.”

The Isle of Barra secured the Calor Scottish Island Community of the Year 2008 title in September, by impressing judges with its wide variety of community activities, how it works to protect and enhance its environment and the efforts made to include people of all ages in its activities. The islanders also demonstrated how they are constantly striving towards ensuring Barra’s own sustainability by growing their own vegetables for local consumption and installing a community owned 900kW wind turbine.

Suzanne Weir accompanied the judges to the island during the judging process:

“The standard of entries throughout the UK was very high, with communities displaying huge acts of community spirit. What made it for Barra was how the population work together to address the challenges of living in such an isolated location, the wide range of community projects being undertaken and the genuine desire to work as a team to create the best working, living and social environment possible. I feel genuinely privileged to have had the opportunity to visit Barra. The island has a great atmosphere and the community made our time on the island very enjoyable – we didn’t want to leave! I’m in no doubt the islanders will celebrate their successes tonight – well done to them, it’s a great achievement.”

As the winners of the Scottish competition Barra received a total £4,000 of prize money to invest in the community and as the UK winner they will receive a one-off commissioned mosaic piece of artwork for their community by Plymouth-based artist, Sarah McCormack.

Gerard MacDonald, representative for Isle of Barra comments:

“Words can’t really describe how delighted we are to have won such a significant competition. This is a massive achievement, and it is so nice to be chosen in first place. We are proud to belong to the UK Calor Village of the Year 2008! The Isle of Barra is a beautiful place, with brilliant people – this competition has put us on the tourism ‘map’ and we look forward to welcoming anyone who wants to come and experience a slice of island life in the best community in the UK.”

The Calor Village of the Year Awards are organised by gas supplier Calor, with the competition in Scotland receiving support from Rural Gateway and the Association of Scottish Community Councils (ASCC).

Further information about the competition can be found at the awards website at www.calorvillageoftheyear.org/scotland.

December 03, 2008

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For further information:

Mark Guest
AVC PR Partnership
Tel +44 (0) 1224 216069
Mob +44 (0) 7770 852105
mguest@avcmedia.com

Lynsey Shepherd
AVC PR Partnership
Tel + 44 (0) 1224 248007
DD +44 (0) 1224 217345
lshepherd@avcmedia.com

Penny George
AVC PR Partnership
Tel + 44 (0) 1224 248007
DD + 44 (0) 1224 216074
pgeorge@avcmedia.com

ISSUED ON BEHALF OF CALOR VILLAGE OF THE YEAR BY AVC PR PARTNERSHIP LTD