MacDonald Estates, the land and property developer, is predicting further growth this year despite tough market conditions after posting a profit of £5.1m for 2007.

The figure is an increase of 14.1% on the previous year and the ninth consecutive year of profit growth for Macdonald, started by entrepreneur Dan Macdonald in 1998.

But the Edinburgh-based company is planning to shift its long-term focus from purely commercial developments to building strategic new “mini-towns” including a 330-acre site it has identified in central Scotland. Other sites include Inverness and St Andrews.

Macdonald, chief executive of Macdonald Estates, said that by 2012, its focus will be almost exclusively fixed on community developments, with local power generation, sustainability and infrastructure as well as commercial premises.

“I am confident we will see the continuation of further profit growth through to 2009 as a number of our developments reach maturity,” he said.

The first site to be developed is a 260-acre site at Balloch Farm, Inverness, with a mix of housing and commercial. All the sites Macdonald has identified are in areas which are likely to be rezoned. Balloch is up for zoning in 2011.

“These new settlements are going to be the focus of the business and will allow us to use the expertise we have built in working with planners from the outset rather than just slapping an application in for consideration,” said Macdonald.

“Some will have gestation periods of 10-20 years although others might come through more quickly.

“These are not the eco-towns that Gordon Brown talked about but smaller mixed developments in areas where there is demand.”

Some of the other future developments for the company include a planned £100m hotel and office development at the SECC Glasgow and construction work on a £30m development at Falkirk Gateway, which starts later this year.

Macdonald also has plans to open an office in Dublin, furthering a commitment to business in the Irish republic. Plans are about to be submitted for a ¤40m (£31m) retail park at Portlaoise, an hour’s drive southwest of Dublin.

Macdonald appointed former Scottish Enterprise Fife chief executive Joe Noble as director of strategic development and infrastructure for the company last month.

Macdonald said: “I am in no doubt that we will see recessionary times and hear more accounts of bank write-offs, a further slide in capital values, greater inflation, raised debt, high bank charges, fire sales and a restrictive residential market.

“We should not delude ourselves. The Scottish market will be affected to a great extent.”

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