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Balmedie minister urges Aberdeenshire Council to take action on road after gravestones destroyed, again

Reverend Paul McKeown beside the damaged wall. Picture by Paul Glendell
Reverend Paul McKeown beside the damaged wall. Picture by Paul Glendell

The minister of Belhelvie Parish Church has urged Aberdeenshire Council to think again on a road junction after cars started crashing into the graveyard.

For the second time in little more than a year, the wall of the kirk’s graveyard was destroyed last Saturday.

The Rev Paul McKeown has now made a plea for the junction to be moved – after gravestones at the council-run site were “significantly destroyed”.

The incident happened on the B977 Balmedie to Belhelvie road, with the driver of the car being taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary with serious injuries.

Reverend McKeown said: “Why is this happening?

“What can be done to stop it from happening again?”

The damaged gravestones in Belhelvie Parish Church. Picture by Paul Glendell 

He added: “That’s pretty much the questions I’m hearing from people in the community at the moment.”

Reverend McKeown said this is the third time there has been damage since the road opened back in 2018, as part of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR).

He said the person involved in this accident was “very lucky” after the size of some of the masonry scattered across the graveyard.

Drivers ‘either speeding or not paying attention’

Prior to the route opening, the old road used to come off the A90 and go past the side of Victoria Garage.

However, Reverend McKeown said: “The new road leads down on quite a fast road to a T-junction and just across from it is the cemetery wall.”

He added: “The drivers I think are either speeding or they’re not paying attention, or there’s other stuff going on.

The T-junction as seen from the churchyard. Picture by Paul Glendell

“But it is possible to go down that hill at quite a speed and see the wall too late, and realise that it’s a junction rather than just a bend around to your left.

“So, people I think are coming down pretty fast and if they don’t know the road, then they may not realise it’s a place to give way until it’s too late.”

‘Can’t be ignored’

Discussing the next steps, Reverend McKeown said: “I think one of the things that’s going to have to come out of this is a discussion about how we can stop this from happening.”

Andrew Hassan who represents Mid-Formartine on Aberdeenshire Council said he has asked for the authority’s road officers to meet with local councillors to discuss the road, which he described as “quite worrying”.

He added: “If the council’s roads team are able to implement any measures as an urgent matter, I would hope that that could be achieved, but it’s certainly a discussion to be had.”

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