Royal Watch News

Queen Elizabeth building houses in Scotland

Oct 15, 2012, 11:01 GMT

Queen Elizabeth

Britain's Queen Elizabeth is to build homes on her Scottish estate to help young people get on the housing ladder.

An area on her Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire is to be set aside to construct low-cost properties, with Hank Dittmar from the Prince's Foundation for Building Community in charge of the project.

He confirmed: 'The Prince's Foundation for Building Community is delighted to be working with residents of Ballater, the Balmoral Estate, the Cairngorms National Park Authority and other interested parties to explore a pilot project relating to self-build housing.

'The project stems from a local need that may, in turn, help to demonstrate how self-built homes can increase the supply of housing more widely for people who live and work in rural communities, within a pattern that also complements the sensitive natural environment.'

The development is still in the early stages, and the section to be used will be close to the Prince of Wales' retreat at Birkhall.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: 'A consultation process has begun regarding provision of low-cost housing in the Ballater area and discussions are at a very early stage.'