Moray Council have approved the detailed plans for the new Elgin South Village proposed by Springfield Properties.

Plans for the first 870 new homes, which will be made up of 2, 3, 4 and 5 bedroom homes, with 220 allocated for social housing, two new schools and the state of the art Moray Sports Centre have been approved. These form part of the wider 2,500 home masterplan on a 204 hectare site.

Sandy Adam, Springfield Chairman, said: "We’ve been working closely with council officials to create a high quality place to live.

"Moray Sports Centre will be in the heart of the village with meeting rooms, a coffee shop, soft play areas and a state of the art gym, it will quickly become a central hub for the community. There will be energy efficient housing, 25% of which will be affordable helping meet Moray Council’s affordable housing targets. Children will benefit from two new schools and they will be able to take advantage of the new Moray Sports Centre on their doorstep.

“This is a significant milestone for Springfield and for Elgin. The development will generate around 600 jobs over the next 30 years. Job opportunities and apprenticeships will increase and in many cases offer a career for life to locals, further strengthening the economic growth of Elgin.”

Work will commence on the new school and Sports Centre in the coming months – both scheduled to open in 2019.