Scotland' Housing Expo

Nearly 600 visitors braved the rain yesterday (1 August) to get the first look at the eco-friendly homes on show to the public at Scotland’s Housing Expo, Milton of Leys, Inverness.

Organisers welcomed 568 adults and children on the first day of the event, which runs throughout the whole of August and showcases award-winning architecture to promote sustainable, ‘green’ living.

Members of the public were queuing at the ticket office before doors opened at 10am with the first visitors traveling from Thurso. Over the course of the day over 130 visitors exchanged their day tickets for season passes to revisit the event in order to watch the Expo landscape develop throughout the month and gain more inspiration for the house designs and interiors.

Peter Thompson, who visited the Expo with his partner and grandson said: “We came because we’re both interested in house building and we’re planning our own project. It has definitely given us inspiration and we’ll come back when we have more time to look at the designs. There were things to do for kids, like the LEGO house, which made it worthwhile for children and so I think the people involved are making an effort.”

Fiona Weaver and her husband came from Alness. Fiona said: “We thought it was very inspiring and we really enjoyed ourselves. It’s promotes better architecture and we’ll be interested to see if it changes the future of house building in the Highlands.”

Chair of the board of Scotland’s Housing Expo, Councillor Jean Urquhart said: “Everyone involved in the Expo worked incredibly hard to get this far and it’s great to see so many people come to the event. It is an incredibly significant project for the Highlands and the future of house building and design in Scotland.”