Kingswells Community Council

Published:
08/01/2009

The Trump factor is attracting developers to
Aberdeenshire in their droves, with plans lodged for almost 5,000
houses, a business park and retail centre, it has emerged.

Balmedie, Belhelvie and Ellon are among places where builders are clamouring to erect properties.

They are among proposals for tens of thousands of new homes in Aberdeenshire.

More than 700 proposals for development in the
north-east have been submitted, ranging from an entire new village of
nearly 3,000 properties to single houses.

Developers hope their plans will help decide the sites allocated for growth in Aberdeenshire Council’s local development plan.

The new village has been proposed for Clinterty, near
Blackburn, by Bancon Development. The 400-acre settlement would be on
land used by the Scottish Agricultural College as well as an authorised
campsite for travellers.

A £700million scheme for 3,000 homes and a business
park at Banchory-Devenick is also listed. But Elsick, near Newtonhill,
faces the biggest increase with 6,000 homes, four primary schools and
an academy put forward by Elsick Development Co Ltd.

The Garioch received the largest number of proposals for any area.

Dramatic changes planned for Inverurie include
extending the town-centre northwards and expanding the Thainstone
Business Centre.

A 700-home Bancon development at Keithhall near
Inverurie, which includes a golf course and a primary school, will also
be considered.

The wish-list includes 900 homes at Balmedie on the doorstep of Donald Trump’s planned new golf resort.

A local couple, who own the land at Keir Farm to the
west of the A90, have submitted the plan which could include a primary
school.

Major development could be in store for nearby Ellon,
including plans by Scotia Homes for 2,200 homes at Cromleybank and 800
at Esslemont with a further 400 properties near Belhelvie.

Other proposals for the surrounding area include a plan
by Stewart Milne to build housing, a business park and retail centre at
a site it has named Potterton West.

Bancon planning director Harry McNab hailed the long-term local plan as a “change for the better”.

“We are looking at planning in terms of a much longer time threshold which means we can plan larger developments,” he said.

“We have confidence in the local economy that it is
still relatively strong compared with other parts of Scotland and that
after we see the end of the current downturn, the growth that is
predicted will come to pass.”

Gordon MP Malcolm Bruce said: “People are only going to
live in the region if there’s economic activity to keep it going. The
Trump development is not going to be a major employer itself, but does
offer a diversification of the economy.

“It is one among a range of selling points. It may act
as a magnet for other developers but that will depend on what lies
ahead with the economy and the oil price.”

The proposals will help form recommendations for a
report in May. A final set of plans will be whittled down after the
draft local plan is published in December.

A public inquiry will hear objections to the plan.

The council has published the entire list on its website in an unprecedented step to encourage debate.

Peter Argyle, chairman of the infrastructure services
committee, said the council faces some “hard decisions” about
development over the next 15 years.

“In the past communities have been asked to comment on
sites without any indication of what the developers’ vision for the
site may be, or without the community having an opportunity to feed
back,” he said.

“By publishing this information and promoting debate, we hope to arrive at a land-use plan that has a high degree of consensus.”

Much of the planned large-scale development centres on Aberdeenshire’s towns and main transport routes.

Stonehaven could expand by more than 1,500 houses if
separate plans for developments to the north and south of the town are
realised.

North-east developer Buchan Properties hopes to
transform 106 acres of farmland west of Peterhead into a settlement of
650 homes.

The council has also pinpointed sections of land for future use, including space for a new academy and a crematorium at Ellon.

Mearns councillor George Carr said: “Now is the time to
take an interest on where housing is being proposed in or around your
town.

“Most villages and towns will be expected to see some
additional development and this exercise is geared to stimulate debate
on where communities think that development will be best located and
where it may definitely not be welcomed.”