Aberdeenshire Council voted against plans for a major development in Kintore yesterday causing anger in the community.
The decision came down to a tied vote at the infrastructure services committee meeting with the chairman using his casting vote against the plans.
Gateway Kintore lodged a masterplan with the local authority, outlining proposals for a supermarket, petrol station and hotel along with a petition last year.
Ken McEwen, a resident who is involved in the Gateway Kintore plans, said last night: “I think there are a lot of angry people in Kintore.
“More than 1000 people signed a petition in 2012 in favour of the development, and more than 340 responded to the Local Development Plan consultation demanding that Gateway Kintore be included.
“It’s almost unprecedented, the extraordinary level of support from residents, but despite the strength of support in the community the council has not seen fit to approve the plans.”
The council cited concerns, including the need for such a site in Kintore, and the lack of a definitive traffic proposal for access to the site.
Councillor Peter Argyle, the committee chairman, said: “There was a very good discussion about the conditions that Garioch Area Committee asked to be addressed.
“The killer issue was with the road. The professional advice we were given was that it was extremely unlikely for Transport Scotland to agree access to that sort of development off the A96 trunk road.
“It’s never easy to go against what the community wants but in this case we couldn’t see any alternative.”
A spokeswoman for Transport Scotland said: “The determination of this application is solely a matter for Aberdeenshire Council.
“Transport Scotland was last consulted formally in June 2012 and since then has seen no proposal that would suggest the position has moved forward.
“Transport Scotland works to support developments across Scotland and responds to around 1,000 planning applications per year.
“Each of these is considered on its merits and we seek positive and propionate solutions wherever we have the information to allow us to do so.”
At the same meeting, the committee unanimously agreed to allocate land for building up to 300 properties in Newmachar – plans which could boost the population of the village by about 750 people.