Community to own and manage greenspace at Countesswells

Countesswells2A new company is being set up to give residents at Countesswells ownership and input to the management of the extensive green and open spaces within the new community from the day they move in.

Countesswells Development Limited, the developers behind Aberdeen’s brand new community to the West of Aberdeen, is setting up a private limited company to manage the estate which comprises open spaces, parkland and landscaping.

Residents of Countesswells will become members of this company and will eventually own a share of the estate. As the community and the greenspaces grows, the private limited company will become a Community Interest Company.

Community Interest Companies (known as C.I.C.’s) are one of the fastest growing community enterprise movements in the country. Set up as either a Company Limited by Guarantee or a Company Limited by Shares, a CIC is a social enterprise which provides a simple legal structure for ownership and management of community assets for the good of the community.

Around one quarter of the 165-hectare Countesswells’ site will ultimately be dedicated to open space. This includes four main parks and a green network of cycle paths, cycle ways, and bridle ways. The largest park within the community, Central Park, is planned to cover around 11 hectares and will form a green spine through the whole of the community.

Allan McGregor, Countesswells project director, said: “Typically when residents move to a new development, the landscaping and creation of green public spaces comes after the homes have been built and takes time to mature. At Countesswells, our priority has been to design and deliver the green space and parkland, around which the new community will be centred, before the first residents move in. Already more than 400 new trees and thousands of plants and shrubs have been planted.”

Through the new company, these first residents will be able to get involved in shaping and caring for their community, which Mr McGregor says will deliver a real sense of community ownership and pride of place within Countesswells right from the start.

He added: “Public spaces are a key element in developing new communities of this scale. Our approach to planning and building new parks, landscaping, extensive planting and attention to details is well underway, creating unrivalled surroundings, which also make best use of the existing woodland and natural environment by creating green links to the woods at Countesswells, Hazlehead and beyond.”

The new community of Countesswells, which will have 3,000 new homes phased in over 15 years, will boost the local economy, support 1,000 construction jobs and create new employment opportunities in the region. A new secondary school and two primary schools, healthcare facilities, local business units, retail and leisure, together with high quality open spaces linking the community to the existing woodlands and amenities at Countesswells and Hazlehead will also be built.

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