Planning chiefs have revealed a massive expansion of Aberdeenshire’s biggest town could include a railway station.
The firm behind the 1,115-home South Ugie development at Peterhead wants to pave the way for residents to use the former Buchan line if its is reopened.
The route of the rail link between the north-east port and Aberdeen is now used by walkers and cyclists.
And it crosses land which is now at the heart of the South Ugie scheme to the west of Peterhead.
Yesterday, councillors delayed making a decision on the project, but it emerged developer Knight Frank had allocated land for a station.
The infrastructure of the Buchan line has long since been torn up – although a railway museum occupies the former station at Maud 12 miles from Peterhead – and the port and neighbouring Fraserburgh are now the two towns furthest from the British rail network.
However a new study commissioned by north-east transport partnership Nestrans suggests the reintroduction of a rail link north of Aberdeen could ease pressure on the road network.
In a report to the local authority’s Buchan area committee, Aberdeenshire Council planning officer Elizabeth Tully said Nestrans made a commitment to look at the costs and benefits of reopening the railway.
“This study is currently under way and an appraisal report was published in March,” she said.
“As a result of this, a site has been reserved in the (South Ugie) masterplan beside the Buchan and Formartine Way for a potential future railway station.”
Miss Tully added that the land would not be developed until such time as it might be needed as a station. No designs for a station have been tabled.
Peterhead councillor Stephen Smith said the allocation of land was a vote of confidence in the campaign to reintroduce rail to the north-east.
“I would commend the applicant for their support of the return of rail,” Councillor Smith said. “But I suspect if and when it does come it will be to Ellon.”
Last night local railway historian Keith Jones, who volunteers at the Maud Railway Museum, echoed Mr Smith’s comments.
“It is a farsighted approach to include ground for railway purposes and it is welcome,” Mr Jones said.
However Mr Jones cautioned that the Maud route to Peterhead would not necessarily be the right track to open.
“Obviously the extension of the line would have to come from Ellon, however there was a branch line to Boddam which closed in the 1930s.”
Much of the debate at yesterday’s meeting of the Buchan area committee surrounded the positioning of a footbridge which would allow pedestrians to cross the busy A90 Aberdeen-Fraserburgh road.
Knight Frank is proposing that two bridges be installed, but councillors questioned why one could not connect the existing Buchan and Formartine Way footpaths, either side of the road.
Knight Frank associate, Malcolm Campbell, said: “If they ever wanted to reopen the train line, that is why we didn’t put a bridge there. It would have to be taken away.
“It’s probably unlikely – I know they’re looking at reopening the line but it doesn’t come cheap.”
Councillors have deferred a decision on whether or not to approve the overall masterplan for the South Ugie site until the autumn so the developers can hold further talks with local residents.