Osprey Housing Officer Elaine Sutherland (left) with new Inchmarlo residents Teresa Cruickshank, her daughter Millie, 10, and five-year-old son William.

Social landlord Osprey Housing has made a fresh start possible for a family of four who have recently moved to Banchory from Peterhead.

Teresa and William Cruickshank — along with daughter Millie, 10, and five-year-old son William — relocated earlier this month and are now enjoying a three-bedroom semi-detached new-build within the Inchmarlo development built for Osprey by Kirkwood Homes.

Their home is part of the second phase of Osprey’s ‘tenure blind’ development and comprises ten semi-detached homes. Eight have three bedrooms and can accommodate five people, while two have two bedrooms and can accommodate four.

The Cruickshanks applied for their Inchmarlo home through the These Homes digital lettings scheme of which Osprey is a part and secured a silver priority pass.

Mrs Cruickshank said: ‘We are absolutely delighted to have been given this amazing opportunity and the Osprey team have been brilliant throughout the process.

‘William works in Aberdeen — he’s a site operator at an oil and gas company — and moving here has literally halved his travel costs as well as greatly reducing the daily stress he was under with the long commute from Peterhead.’

She added: ‘I was working at Morrisons in Peterhead and have now been transferred to the supermarket’s Banchory branch, which has worked out perfectly for us.’

Osprey Development Officer Allan Liddle said: ‘We are very happy to welcome our tenants to their new homes within this latest top quality new-build development delivered for Osprey Housing by Kirkwood Homes.

‘Inchmarlo marks our latest collaboration with this local house builder and follows earlier successful developments at Monymusk, Dunecht, and Sauchen.’

Mr Liddle added: ‘The next milestone in our partnership is due in summer next year when our fifth collaboration with Kirkwood Homes — at Castle Road in Alford — is due for completion.’

Osprey Housing is investing £4,225,170 in the Inchmarlo development which when completed early next month will comprise thirty affordable properties featuring a mix of...

• Two-bedroom bungalows built to Osprey’s standards and featuring full level access (including wet floor shower rooms), 926mm-wide wheelchair accessible doors, and secure low-maintenance gardens.
• One-bedroom ground-floor cottage-style flats built to the same accessibility specification as the bungalows and first-floor flats with wider doors but over-bath showers instead of wet rooms. All flats have access to communal gardens with shared drying and bin storage areas.
• Two-, three-, and four-bedroom semi-detached family homes, with the four-bedroom properties offering the same inclusive accessibility features for mixed-ability families as the bungalows and ground-floor flats.

All the properties feature gas central heating and high levels of insulation, plus off-road parking.

The Scottish Government has contributed £2,969,160 to the Inchmarlo project as part of its affordable housing programme.