Workshops start on new town plan

The website for the Tornagrain new town plans

A major consultation on plans for a new town for 10,000 people between Inverness and Nairn has started.

Moray Estates is proposing to build the settlement at Tornagrain.

It said it was starting with a "blank sheet" and public events will be held at the Drumossie Hotel, near Inverness, from 5 to 14 September.

The A96 - where the town site lies - is the focus of a number of proposals put forward, including more homes for in and around Nairn.

The intensive public consultation process, known as a charrette, is the first of its kind to take place in the UK.

People sometimes struggle to visualise ideas and the team includes illustrators who can rapidly produce high quality line drawings and water colours to help people through the process Andrew Howard, managing director of Moray Estates

The project is led by renowned US planner Andres Duany who is helping to re-build communities damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Andrew Howard, managing director of Moray Estates, said: "The team come from all over the world, but also include some local experts.

"They need to have all the equipment on hand in order to create visual material immediately.

Pin-up

"People sometimes struggle to visualise ideas and the team includes illustrators who can rapidly produce high quality line drawings and water colours to help people through the process."

This signals the beginning of an intensive consultation programme which involves open design sessions and debates on specific topics.

A "pin-up" session on Sunday, 10 September will outline the ideas so far and seek feedback before a final burst of design leads to the preferred solution which will be unveiled at a public presentation on Thursday 14 September.