A row over street names in a north-east town has finally been resolved after councillors agreed to honour the community’s former college principal.
The bizarre argument started after Fraserburgh’s community council suggested the first batch of streets at the Kirkton Heights development should be named after lighthouses.
The idea, which attracted the most “likes” on the group’s social media page, was meant to pay tribute to both the town’s Museum of Scottish Lighthouses and the role the beacons have played in saving seafarers’ lives over the years.
Fraserburgh councillors Michael Watt, Brian Topping and Charles Buchan backed the proposal.
But after complaints from Colaren Homes, which is building up to 600 houses at the site, and fellow councillor Ian Tait – who both felt the streets should honour famous locals – the plan was scrapped.
Now one street will be named after local college principal Jim Crawford, who fought to bring the then-Banff and Buchan College to the port.
Six more streets will still be named after beacons.
Last night, Councillor Tait said: “I must say that I think to name the remaining six streets after lighthouses is still wrong.
“I would agree to one street being named like this, but not all six.”
He added that he was “particularly disappointed” neither Fraserburgh Football Club nor James Baird, who redesigned the town’s links golf course in 1922, would be honoured with street names.
“People come to play the course and into the town and spend locally, so help our economy and jobs,” Mr Tait said.
David Donn, secretary of Fraserburgh Community Council, described the challenge to the street names as “disappointing”.
He said: “Street naming is contentious, but this time by asking the community it had been hoped to avoid this exact situation.
“Our suggestion won’t please everyone, it never could and nor did we expect it to, but it was done in as fair a manner as we could think of.”