CMA Architects are very pleased to see Ardnahoe Distillery be awarded Best New Distillery at this years Online Scottish Whisky Awards. Ardnahoe were up against five other very distinctive new distilleries so this is particularly pleasing to see. The judges stated that “Ardnahoe has probably the best view from any Still Room in Scotland”
Congratulations to the team at Ardnahoe for continuing to develop this fantastic facility that we finished in 2018.
CMA Architects are delighted to announce the successful completion and handover of 11 high-quality residential properties at Lampson Court, Killearn, delivered on behalf of Rural Stirling Housing Association (RSHA). This thoughtfully designed rural development marks a significant milestone in addressing the pressing need for affordable housing in one of Stirlingshire’s most picturesque and sought-after villages.
Located in the heart of Scotland’s countryside, the Lampson Court development comprises nine social housing units and two shared equity properties. These homes offer a mix of tenures that cater to a range of household incomes, ensuring that families and individuals can access secure, quality housing in a location that has traditionally faced affordability challenges.
The inclusion of New Supply Shared Equity homes has proven especially popular, offering a pathway to homeownership for residents who might otherwise be priced out of the market. This blend of housing options helps maintain the diverse social fabric of Killearn, supporting a vibrant and inclusive community.
RSHA Chair Fiona Boath welcomed the new homes, stating:
“We are delighted to be launching our new homes at Lampson Road. They come just a few months after we unveiled other much-welcomed new properties in nearby Croftamie. Affordable homes are vital for the communities we serve across Rural Stirlingshire to address an ongoing need for housing, and we are strongly committed to keep on building.”
This development reflects RSHA’s ongoing commitment to sustainable rural growth, ensuring that local people can continue to live and thrive in the communities they call home.
The homes were constructed by McTaggart Construction, whose reputation for delivering sustainable housing solutions aligned perfectly with the project’s goals. CMA Architects extend their sincere thanks to the main contractor, the wider design team, and the client team for their dedication and collaboration throughout the process—from initial concept to final handover.
The project has taken considerable time and care to bring to fruition, with every detail carefully considered to ensure the homes complement Killearn’s established rural character while meeting modern standards of comfort, energy efficiency, and accessibility.
More than just bricks and mortar, the Lampson Court development stands as a testament to what can be achieved through sensitive, community-focused design in rural Scotland. It demonstrates how thoughtful architecture and strategic partnerships can deliver lasting benefits for local communities—supporting sustainability, preserving heritage, and enhancing quality of life.
CMA Architects are delighted to be shortlisted in two categories in the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Scotland Housing Awards 2024.
The unique development of four detached homes all for adapted use for Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) has been shortlisted in the “Working in Partnership” category and the “Excellence in Regeneration and Sustainability” category for its project at Eton Avenue, Dunoon.
CMA Architects worked in partnership with ACHA and they in turn with Argyll and Bute Council Housing Services and Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership to build 4 specially designed and adapted wheelchair houses for families with particular needs on the Home Argyll housing waiting list. The properties were built by John Brown (Strone) Limited, and delivered through a funding partnership between Argyll and Bute Council, the Scottish Government and ACHA.
Cathy Grant, tenant chair of ACHA’s Board of Management, commented
“These are fabulous new homes and have made such a different to the lives of the tenants who are living there. A recent appraisal noted that 100% of the new tenants agreed the overall condition of their new housing is much better than where lived before which they described as stressful, miserable and bleak. It could not have been achieved without excellent partnership working with Scottish Government, Argyll and Bute Council and the Health and Social Care Partnership who have been so supportive of what we were trying to achieve here. Thank you”
CMA were delighted to work on this project with ACHA and the contractor John Brown (Strone) and are equally delighted that the new tenants whom we worked with closely are enjoying their new homes and that these homes are helping to transform the living quality of all of the residents.
Main Contractor McTaggart Construction have just released the latest drone footage of their progress at Lampson Court, Killearn. We have 11 units of mixed housing all for affordable let through Rural Stirling Housing Association. They have made great progress in the last few months since winter and the houses are all taking shape. The project is due for completion later this year.
CMA were delighted to partner with the Islay based Sidekick charity who are a registered charity formed in 2020 to provide additional support whether for children or young people on Islay and Jura that are affected with a learning need, emotional difficulty or disability.
the new bike shelters will provide a much needed resource to store and charge the bikes, buggies and adapted wheelchairs that they provide.
Plans have been approved for what will become Islay’s 12th Scotch malt whisky distillery. Laggan Bay is set to be developed by whisky bottlers and brewers The Islay Boys, in association with Ian Macleod Distillers.
Argyll and Bute Council has granted planning permission for the distillery, which The Islay Boys said will produce ‘a traditional, double-distillation Islay whisky’, at Glenegedale in Laggan Bay, close to the island’s airport.
The new development, on a two-hectare site, will also include a new brewery building for Islay Ales, the Hebridean island’s only brewery, which The Islay Boys acquired in 2018. The brewery and distillery will be located less than a mile from Islay’s longest beach, the Big Strand in Laggan Bay.
The Islay Boys are Mackay Smith and Donald MacKenzie, both originally from the Rhinns peninsula on Islay’s west coast, who established the business as an independent Scotch whisky bottling company in 2016.
Laggan Bay Distillery will be developed in a partnership between The Islay Boys and Ian Macleod Distillers, the family-owned Scotch whisky company that owns the Glengoyne and Tamdhu single malts, and Edinburgh Gin.
Ian Macleod Distillers is currently reviving the Rosebank distillery in Falkirk, mothballed in 1993 and home to the historic triple-distilled Lowland single malt of the same name.
The Islay Boys and Ian Macleod are said to have a long-standing relationship, with Ian Macleod Distillers chairman Leonard Russell saying: ‘I have known and worked with The Islay Boys for a long time, and I’m delighted to be able to bring our long experience in creating quality Scotch single malts to the Laggan Bay Distillery project.’
When complete, Laggan Bay is set to become the 12th active malt whisky distillery on Islay, after the development of two other new distilleries over the next few years. Diageo is currently reviving the cult Port Ellen distillery, with the new plant set to open in 2023, 40 years after the original distillery closed, while Elixir Distillers is developing Portintruan, located between Port Ellen and Laphroaig on Islay’s southern coast, which is set to start production in 2024.
The nine distilleries currently operational are Ardbeg, Ardnahoe, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin and Laphroaig.
The last whisky distillery to open on Islay was Ardnahoe, located in the northeast of the island and overlooking the isle of Jura, which was opened by independent whisky bottlers Hunter Laing in late 2018.
The fourth phase of Argyll Community Housing Associations multi-phase housing at Bowmore received planning on 13 December 2024.
Most of the Islay villages are planned settlements and all have largely retained their integrity despite some modern sprawl round their fringes. As a result, Islay has a strong building typology characterised by low rise traditional whitewashed buildings with slate roofs, often laid out in terraces built down and round slopes. The houses at the Shoreline masterplan at Bowmore follow this strong tradition. Phase 4 will be no different.
Unlike most of the Islay villages, Bowmore largely turns its back on the coastline. However, the Shoreline site is elevated and presented an opportunity to exploit panoramic views across Loch Indaal. The site of a former artillery battery from the Napoleonic Wars lies on a promontory immediately to the east, with views to the Paps of Jura.
Phase 4 following on form the previous 3 phases aims to provide a mixed range of affordable housing options, integrated with the existing settlement, respecting the historic street pattern and architecture whilst creating a development which is of its time.
Three completed phases have delivered 51 affordable homes and these are fully occupied.
