Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Residents wary as project’s plans resurface

Residents wary as project’s plans   resurface

Plans for a £250million housing, business and leisure development have resurfaced, four years after an Aberdeenshire community rallied against the scheme.

The controversial proposals for Mill of Forest at Stonehaven include 1,500 houses, a primary school, community facilities, a supermarket, a hotel and 25 acres of employment land.

Barratt North Scotland and Drum Property Group first unveiled their vision in 2009, but residents raised concerns that the infrastructure of the town could not cope and that the plans could harm tourism.

The scheme was not included in Aberdeenshire Council’s 2012 local development plan, but the developers have now renewed their bid as part of the current consultation on the next planning blueprint.

A council report detailing future potential developments across the region states there are no sites in Stonehaven planning chiefs would recommend for future development in 2016, but it acknowledges the Scottish Government reporter may not accept that and suggests some preferred options, including Mill of Forest.

Last night, Chris Ross, senior land manager for Barratt North Scotland, described the proposals as an “exciting opportunity to create a sustainable and sympathetic expansion” for Stonehaven.

He said: “As well as delivering a sought-after supermarket for residents, which could be built within the first 18 months of the development, the proposals crucially provide much-needed homes for a wide spectrum of groups from first-time buyers to the elderly, including a significant number of homes for the affordable housing market.

“More homes would also provide a platform for creating additional footfall and spending in the town, something a standalone supermarket would not provide which would therefore be detrimental to the wellbeing of the local business community and the vibrancy of the town centre.”

But some residents were unconvinced last night, and said little had changed since the proposals were first mooted.

Michael Innes, who is now chairman of the community council which voted against the scheme, previously raised concerns that the development could detract from the scenery that attracts tourists to Stonehaven.

He said: “I feel exactly the same as when the plans first raised their head.

“This is two or three years away, and is still just at the bids stage.

“The developer is entitled to put in bids for the local development plan, but until that’s approved, it’s all hearsay.

“Our stance at the community council is that until the developer puts in a planning application and holds proper consultation we don’t acknowledge their plans.”

Planning secretary Andrew Newton said he was concerned Stonehaven’s roads and facilities could not cope with as many as 1,500 homes.

He added: “We have a proposal for 1,500 homes and the infrastructure really can’t take it in Stonehaven.

“By and large the residents of Stonehaven don’t want this huge amount of housing coming in. We don’t think it could cope.”

But Mr Ross insisted the developers were “fully committed” to ensuring the project did not lead to traffic, flooding or drainage problems, which were all highlighted the last time plans were put forward.

He said: “We are fully committed to ensuring that key infrastructure works, such as a new bridge across the A90 Aberdeen to Dundee road are delivered as part of the first phase of the development.”

He added the firms were following the progress of the Stonehaven flood protection scheme, and that the drainage proposals would “complement and enhance” the project.

Michelle Ward, director of Stonehaven Town Partnership (STP) and vice-chairwoman of the Stonehaven Business Association, welcomed the proposals after meeting the developers last week.

She said: “I had the opportunity to look over these plans with the developers on Thursday and it looks like another exciting proposal for Stonehaven to consider.”

Fife Hyland, of Drum Property Group, said there would be opportunities for local community groups and residents to view and comment on the proposals. He added it was “vitally important” they did so.