US urban planning guru Andres Duany has been appointed to carry out his first scheme in the UK.

Duany, who masterplanned Seaside in Florida as well as another 300 developments across the world over the past 25 years, has been selected by Moray Estates to design a new settlement between Inverness and Nairn in north-east Scotland.

Duany, who is principal of Duany Plater Zyberk & Company, has been a key figure in the development of the anti-sprawl New Urbanist movement in the USA.

New Urbanist thinking heavily influenced the Prince of Wales' model development at Poundbury on the outskirts of Dorchester.

The Highland council has identified the A96 corridor to accommodate the growth of Inverness, which is the fastest growing city in western Europe. Moray is planning to secure public participation in drawing up the masterplan from the start.