Springfield Properties has agreed its first major worker-housing deal with SSEN Transmission to support delivery of Scotland’s next phase of grid reinforcement. The AIM-listed house builder will provide 293 homes across six sites in Highland, Moray and Aberdeenshire, with SSEN set to lease the units for an initial four-year term.
Under the initial agreement, Springfield will undertake enabling works and open up the sites, with SSEN funding these early-stage activities. A second agreement, covering the full build-and-lease phase, is expected to follow shortly, with units handed over on a phased basis over the next three years to align with programme requirements on the transmission upgrade.
At the end of the four-year lease, Springfield will review options to convert the homes to private sale, private rented or affordable housing, depending on local market conditions and planning parameters. The arrangement forms part of SSEN Transmission’s ‘housing legacy’ programme, designed to leave a permanent residential asset in host communities rather than relying solely on temporary worker accommodation.
Springfield confirmed it is in live talks with SSEN and other major infrastructure operators about replicating the model across the north of Scotland. The approach is expected to provide more predictable demand for house building output while de-risking accommodation provision on long-duration energy infrastructure schemes.
