Plans have been revealed for an eco-village in Deeside, which would be the first of its kind in Scotland. Chap Homes is planning an new sustainable community, modelling it on the existing village of Ballater. It wants to transform a quarry it owns into a fully "integrated and holistic" community.

It would feature houses for 2,000-3,000 people, shopping facilities, church, medical centre, garden centre, business units and primary school. Chap plans to invest more than £100m transforming the 240-acre brownfield site near Drumoak into the village of Park. It would comprise carbon-neutral buildings made from sustainable materials. They would be heated by a combination of solar and wind power and geothermal heat. Underground heat would be harnessed to ensure that the insulated properties were energy efficient.

The village would be made up of home zones, linked by a network of pedestrian routes, and be built around a grid of paths, courtyards and streets. Only pedestrians, bicycles and light vehicles would be allowed access. The centrepiece would be an existing manmade lake, complete with island.

Bill Burr, managing director of Chap Homes, said: "Our aim is to create the most sustainable settlement in Scotland. The design mix mean that village would meet the criteria of what is required and expected of a 21st-century development." The village would be modelled on the layout of Aboyne and Ballater, the Deeside village famed for being a favourite of the Royal Family. Mr Burr said large detached and semi-detached houses would be built on the periphery of the village, with smaller, flatted developments in the centre.