Gordon Arms Hotel

As you know, Culter Community Council (CCC) and the Planning Department of Aberdeen City Council (ACC) were unsuccessful in preventing our local hotel being turned into yet another block of flats.

Churchill Homes informed me that they hope to start in August or September at the latest, so by the time you read this, work may have started. They already have permission for the existing building to be demolished with each dressed granite block being numbered. (Some people may remember that this procedure was used in the 1960s when the Wallace Tower had to be removed to allow Marks and Spencer to build their new store.) The frontage then must be rebuilt 'as is' but two wings will be added to provide the twenty-six flats.

Another condition applied is that the Planning Department will have to give written permission for only the necessary trees to be felled. This is just in the process of implementation at present. The remainder of the trees will have to be well protected during construction work and incorporated into the landscape afterwards. Being in the middle of the village, we will all be able to see how this development progresses.

Inchrory, The Bush

A planning application is in to demolish this house and replace it with two. As we have on similar occasions, CCC objected on the grounds that the schools are full and the roads choked with traffic at the busy commuting times. We said we would not object to a one-for-one replacement.

Boundary Fencing at  Pittengullies Brae

The owner of one of the houses built on the site of Moncur's Building Yard, had built some boundary fencing along the path leading down to Lovers Walk along the Dee. CCC queried this with the Planning Department (ACC) as we had been the instigators of one of the conditions for permission to build -namely that all the boundaries would be marked by deciduous hedging (beech was the choice of the developer) on the grounds of visual amenity.

It turns out that conditions, once agreed, are applied by the Scottish Executive and can only be removed (by the Executive) at our request and with the Planning Department agreement AND only for the whole development, not just part of it. There can be no temporary leeway given (e.g. until the beech hedge had grown higher and thicker). CCC did not feel we could do this. We think people would not want to see high wooden fences instead of hedges along the Dee and up the path to Pittengullies Brae, Do you agree with us or not? Please let us know.

On a happier note - a member of Aberdeen City Council (Parks Dept?) strimmed back the growth on the sides of the path along the River Dee (Lovers Walk) making it easy and pleasant to enjoy a walk along it. As we always seem to be complaining about work not being done, I congratulated the young man working there and assured him that people would certainly appreciate it. If you haven't been down there for some time - or never - why not give it a try.

LAVINA C MASSIE Planning Liaison for CCC