Here are some of the more interesting points from today’s Kincardine and Mearns Area Committee.

• More than £15,000 is being given in grants to six organisations including the Maggie Law Maritime Museum in Gourdon, Luthermuir Hall and Park Committee, Friends of Stonehaven Open Air Swimming Pool and Laurencekirk War Memorial Window. None of the applicants were from the Portlethen and Newtonhill area. The area committee still has some £8000 to be allocated by the end of the financial year. If you know of a good local cause, get in touch. It must however be spent by April.
• Chief Superintendent Mark McLaren told us about the Police Scotland plans to merge the Aberdeen division with the Aberdeenshire & Moray division. He said it would save some senior staff costs and cut out some duplication. I cheekily asked if the new division would be called Grampian. Err, no, North East is the front runner.
• The current consultation about the rezoning of the catchment areas for the five local primaries – Portlethen, Hillside, Fishermoss, Newtonhill and Banchory Devenick – came under scrutiny. It is likely that Portlethen will remain over capacity after Hillside opens in August 2016, but only because existing pupils from the Hillside area will be able to continue their education there, if they wish. The total will drop in due course. The new Chapelton primary school was also mentioned. It could open as early as 2018. It depends on how quickly houses sell, as it will be required when just under 500 houses are occupied.
• Full planning permission was granted for two single storey houses at Downies. This was a controversial site, but the principle had already been established by Scottish Ministers. Today councillors had to decide whether the design of the new houses was appropriate.