A public hearing will be held next month to discuss proposals for a major new development at Stonehaven which includes a new supermarket, petrol station, 50-bedroom hotel and restaurant.
An application was submitted last year to Aberdeenshire Council for the £40million project at Ury Estate, which would also include a multimillion-pound golf course sketched out by legendary player Jack Nicklaus.
The plans had been on the table for a number of years, but stalled when FM Developments went into administration in 2009.
Two years later the scheme was resurrected by parent company FM Ury, and initial proposals to build the first of more than 200 houses as part of the development have already been approved by the council’s infrastructure services committee.
Now, members of the public who have already submitted their views on the rest of the scheme are being invited to a meeting at Mackie Academy on September 11 from 7pm where they can address councillors.
Representatives from FM Ury will also be there to answer questions.
In addition, a site visit led by councillors will take place prior to the meeting, which all interested parties will be allowed to attend.
A report detailing all views will then be presented to a meeting of the full council on November 20, when a decision is expected to be made.
So far, local residents – who have been calling for a large supermarket for years – have welcomed the plans, saying they would provide a “major boost” for Stonehaven.
Ury’s estates manager, Richard Milne, described the development as “stunning”.
At a council meeting last week, the developer was granted planning permission in principle for 230 homes, which will surround the historic mansion, Blue Lodge, on the Ury Estate.
The first 51 properties will be built in two phases, comprising 24 and 27 houses.
They will range in size from four-bedroom homes to eight-bedroom mansions and will include large plots of land and detached garages.