Portlethen Community Council tonight had a packed agenda of issues to discuss Here are few of the points that caught my attention:

– The new stretch of road opposite the under-construction Hillside school should have the top surface applied in mid March. Meanwhile the shell of the school should be erected shortly. The head teacher is due to be appointed in April.

– The Portlethen gala might be held in mid August. The gala ceilidh on 19 March is sold out. The next gala committee meeting is on 3 February.

– Support was expressed for the Portlethen Allotment Group which meets on Thursday. Chairman Ron Sharp paid tribute to Christine Lorimer who had founded this “fantastic” group. The ground has been identified and it needs to move forward now to flourish.

– Aberdeenshire Council is planning to provide a type of hook for the food waste bins to stop them blowing away. More in due course.

– The community council has objected to plans for two houses at Wairds Farm and to flats at Marywell beside the caravan park.

– There was an in-depth discussion about developer contributions (formerly known as planning gain money) and how the community can access such funding.

– The community council heard about the concerns of parents at Fishermoss school about inconsiderate parking. Reference was made to an article in the Mearns Leader from 20 years ago about the same concerns. Some 69 out of 89 parents felt that it was dangerous at the morning drop-off and 72 at the afternoon pick-up. The parent council suggestions include a zebra crossing; a crossing patroller; an extended parking bay; parking bays at Bourtree park car park (and more parking), flashing 20mph signs, a police presence; and so on. Contact is to be made with Aberdeenshire Council officers and the police.

– No police officers attended the meeting, for operational reasons. Chairman Ron Sharp expressed his disappointment adding that there seems to be less and less community policing.

– Brian Arris, the managing director of Dickie Pharmacies, outlined their plans for a pharmacy at Hillside, on the site beside the supermarket which is under construction. It would be open from 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday, and closing at 1pm on Saturdays. The proposals were warmly welcomed.

– The meeting heard that the local weekly paper, the Mearns Leader, could be up for sale along with other Johnston Press newspapers. The owners have put the Leader in a group of 59 titles it considers to be sub-core and stated they “need to improve their contribution”. The company said in a statement that “a number of brands have been identified that are not part of its long-term future” and that a “process has been initiated to explore the sale of these assets.” Now whether that includes the Leader remains to be seen. It was noted at the meeting how few copies the paper sell in Portlethen, though about a fifth of people at the meeting said they bought it.

– Support was given to proposals for a seven-a-side pitch at the Hillside school and an all-weather public pitch on adjoining ground. This is to be discussed at a meeting on the new Portlethen Sports Hub on 3 February.

– Passenger figures at Portlethen station have been steadily increasing. There was general agreement more trains need to stop there.

The next meeting of the community council is on Tuesday 23 February, starting at 7pm in the academy.