CCC Planning
THE latest draft of the Local Plan came out for formal public consultation on 19 August (a copy was available in the Library) with comments and objections to be received by the Planning Department by 30 September. The members of Culter Community Council (CCC) however had been involved in earlier presentations and consultation exercises including planners, councillors, community groups and developers. We therefore were much surprised to find a small business park had been proposed for a site at the junction of Malcolm Road and the Shoddy Road - the road that leads past Culter Football Club's ground.
After some deliberation, the members of CCC decided at their meeting on 22 September to support this proposal
since several businessmen had been expressing interest earlier in the Gordon Arms Hotel and recently in the Clydesdale Bank. We did qualify our endorsement of the proposal with the need to make Malcolm Road safer
* at its junction with North Deeside Road and
* at its narrowest point where the walls are continually being damaged by heavy goods vehicles.
It was not till after CCC had done this that residents from Malcolm Road approached us asking for our support to oppose this business opportunity.
The members of CCC were pleased to endorse Policy 61 which states, 'proposals to change premises from commercial use to residential will be refused in Lower Deeside settlements of Cults, Bieldside, Milltimber and Peterculter'.
We also were happy with the proposal that the piece of land at Culter Tip has been designated for playing fields and clubhouse, which should protect it for the Boys Club C.A.S.T.L.E. Project.
However, we did object to the Roads Depot at The Bush being sold off to make way for sheltered housing since Aberdeen City Council has already turned it down twice in favour of other areas in the city because of its poor access (road too narrow and no room to put in pavements for safe walking.) We proposed the cleared site of Coronation Court instead and suggested the Depot stay so that, if nothing else, we would get our roads cleared in winter! - otherwise it will have to be done from Tullos!
Under the routine planning application, approval has been given for
• the equestrian centre at Upper Anguston and
• the conversion of the old Clydesdale Bank premises to a pub.
BP have renewed their application to upgrade the filling station, which they originally had put in for five years ago - before they had thoughts of closing it last year. I'm taking this as good news so I hope I'm right!
A planning application, which was refused last year, has come back again. This is for a large house in the garden of 105 Malcolm Road. The members of CCC had not commented previously as they were aware of the present council's policy of generally refusing feus to be split. In this new application, however, it is proposed by the applicant that the boundary wall would be pulled back from Malcolm Road around the entrances to the houses to allow better vision for cars coming and going into the grounds. We have suggested that, if the planners do decide to approve this application, then the boundary wall should be pulled back along the whole length of the property adding a little bit to the safety for all users of Malcolm Road where it begins to get very narrow.
Lavina C Massie Planning Liaison