Today’s Kincardine and Mearns Area Committee took a number of important decisions.

• The headline issue which will no doubt be reported in the media tomorrow concerns planning applications for a travellers’ site at St Cyrus. The caravan park – which already there without permission – is built on the flood plain. Councillors voted by 8-2 to support the planners’ recommendation that the application be refused. The final decision will be made by the full council.
• The upper guideline limit for the area committee budget was upped to £4000, from £3000. This is the fund that groups can apply to for grants.
• Administration grants for the three community councils in my North Kincardine ward were agreed: Newtonhill etc £677, Portlethen etc £1418, North Kincardine Rural £475. It is based on the size of the electorate.
• Senior police officers reviewed key statistics between April and December 2014. In North Kincardine housebreakings fell from 20 in 2013 to 14, but the detection rate is down to 7.1%. Inspector Stuart Ednie is retiring (far too young!).
• The proposals by Aberdeen City Council to exclude Aberdeenshire children from Cults Academy met with strong opposition from councillors. I called on our officers to beef up their submission to the consultation, saying that the best interests of the children should be uppermost, and that is to continue with the existing arrangements. If the city council proceeds, the children would go to either Mackie Academy or Portlethen Academy when they leave Lairhillock Primary School.
• Roads officers put forward their programme for the coming year. I also raised the state of the roundabout at the east end of the Badentoy flyover. Further work will take place to tackle the rutting. Officers are having weekly meetings with the Aberdeen western peripheral route team about the impact on local roads: “we want to get plenty of advance warning.” It was also agreed that the barrier on the Bervie Braes at Stonehaven would be painted green.
• The general maintenance budget in K+M is £981,000, and this includes the following in the North Kincardine ward: Resurfacing – Milltimber junction (B9077)

Surface dressing – Cookston Road, Portlethen – high friction dressing; C25K from the junction C12K west to Backhill; U59K from Jockton House to Mid Ardoe; U145K from the junction with the B979 to Blackburn; and U145K from Inch of Ury southeast to East Blackburn. Footway works – slurry seal outside Banchory Devenick Primary School, Marine Terrace and Dunnyfell Road in Muchalls; South Headlands Crescent, Hillhead Road, Old Mill Road, Newtonhill Road, Windyedge Court in Newtonhill; and in Portlethen Viking Place, Bruntland Road, Glebe Court, Badentoy Road, Schoolhill Road, Cairnwell Drive, Glebe Court, Cairnwell Drive, Ninian Place, Barclayhill Place, Craighead Avenue, and Craigmarn Road. Lighting column replacement – Dunvegan Place, Rowanbank Road, Muirend Road and Berrymuir Road in Portlethen.

• Scottish Ministers have grants an appeal for two houses to the north of 44 Downies Village. Councillors and residents had concerns over the scale and height of the houses.