Luxury Ayrshire development will offer 'eco homes' costing over £1 million

The first phase of a luxury residential development in Ayrshire is underway which will offer homes costing more than £1 million.

The £60 million development is the result of a joint venture project between custom housebuilder Cherish Homes and Rowallan Castle Estate.

It is hoped that the homes will set a blueprint for “environmentally friendly custom build houses” in Scotland

Work has just begun at the site within the vast 600-acre estate in East Ayrshire and will see serviced plots for 79 custom designed homes costing from around £400,000 to over £1m brought to market. At present, the first phase of 38 plots has been released for sale.

Work has just started at the site within the 600-acre estate and will see serviced plots for 79 custom designed homes brought to market. At the moment, the first phase of 38 plots have been released for sale.

Rowallan Castle Estate marks Cherish Homes’ first project in Scotland. The firm has already developed sites in Cheshire and Lancashire, with further locations planned for 2021.

The contemporary “eco homes” are typically triple glazed, “highly insulated” and utilise mechanical ventilation and heat recovery systems to achieve 100 per cent airtightness.

Stuart Law, chief executive of Cherish Homes, said: “The UK has fallen behind other countries such as Sweden, Germany and Japan which have adopted custom build homes and advanced off-site manufacturing and modular construction techniques much more readily.

“Rowallan Castle Estate provides us with a prime site to showcase best-in-class modular homes which are truly energy efficient and we expect Rowallan Castle Estate to become the showpiece custom build serviced plot site in Scotland.”

The launch of the homes coincides with an increase in people looking to move to well connected, rural areas amid the shift to home and blended working as a result of the pandemic.

Law added: “We are seeing long-term changes in consumer behaviour, with more people than ever looking to the countryside for their next home, and a bespoke home office better suited to remote working.

“We are already seeing significant demand for the plots at Rowallan and we are pleased that the development of these high-quality homes will also bring considerable economic benefits to the surrounding area.”

Rowallan Castle Estate extends to 600 acres of parkland, ancient woodland and a championship golf course designed by Colin Montgomerie. The estate lies 20 miles south of Glasgow.

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