I have contacted Transport Scotland to ask for an investigation and action to protect lives and property in Newtonhill after another car left the A90 and landed in the garden of a house, coming to rest upside down against a wall. Thankfully – I am told – no-one was hurt. A residents says this is the third time in less than four years. Something needs to be done.
Date for new park and choose
The new park and choose at the Newtonhill flyover will be brought into use by the X7 from Monday 17 August, I have been advised by council officers. This means the X7 will no longer use the existing two stops on the A90.
Stagecoach Bluebird East decided to re-route the X7 (Aberdeen-Perth) to coincide with the issue of a new bus timetable.
The car park is not quite finished, and a completion date is awaited. Once the 50th house is occupied at Chapelton there should be a shuttle bus between the park and choose and the new town.
Notices will be displayed at the A90 bus stops from Monday.
I will post any further details as soon as I get them, meanwhile here is what I have been told by council officers:
“Steve Walker (Stagecoach Bluebird) had confirmed that Service 7 (Aberdeen – Stonehaven) would be re-routed to serve the facility, providing an hourly service each way. He is currently reviewing the Aberdeen and Stonehaven corridor, with re-routing via the facility possibly before the end of the year. I will update yourself once I have confirmation of a date. He also confirmed that there is insufficient time within the current timetables for other services on the corridor to serve the facility, without allocating additional resources.
“It was agreed at the planning stage that the bus stops on the A90, at Newtonhill Road End would be removed once the facility was in operation for safety reasons, due to buses utilising the slip road travelling to/from the facility. I have put forward your request to Andrew Jarvis (Stagecoach Bluebird East) for the Service X7 to serve the bus stops at Tesco and will update you once I have a response. I have also forwarded your request to my colleague Martin Hall (Principal Officer Infrastructure) regarding the additional bus stop in Newtonhill and I will update you once I have a decision.
“I can also confirm that Real Time has been introduced on the Buchan corridor as a trial so any operational issues can be rectified before it is rolled out throughout Aberdeenshire in the coming months.
“I hope this clarifies the situation and I will update you when I have further information.”
ATM stolen in Newtonhill
Tonight’s meeting of Newtonhill, Muchalls and Cammachmore Community Council was a crisp affair, covering lots of topics.
– The police report stated that there had been a number of incidents since the last meeting, including the theft of a five figure sum from the cash machine at Tesco, a theft from a house at Chapelton, and the theft of a car from Muchalls (four youths have been reported to the fiscal).
– There was discussion about the proliferation of Japanese knotweed. Efforts to eradicate it in the Elsick valley are progressing. However there are concerns there may be other clumps, including one between Newtonhill and Muchalls.
– The next meeting of the Kincardine and Mearns Bus Forum is on Thursday 3 September at 7pm in the council chambers at Viewmount, Stonehaven. This is when members of the public can raise points with Stagecoach. And a talking point is bound to be the new park and choose at Newtonhill, which has seen many hiccups, some more serious than others,
– A new planning application has been lodged for seven flats at Cammies.
– The applicant who wants to build houses between the park & choose and the A90 is appealing against the refusal decision.
– There have been reports of water pouring out of the sewage pumping station at the Muchalls viaduct. It has been raised with Scottish Water.
– Potholes on Old Mill Road in Newtonhill have been reported to the council.
– The car crash when it flew off the A90 into a house in St Ternan’s Road was also discussed. Concerns were expressed about it happening again with more serious consequences. Transport Scotland has ordered a safety investigation. The meeting heard another car driver had difficulty staying on the road earlier today. A diesel spill was suspected, and police have been told.
The next meeting is on 16 September in the Skateraw Hall.
Concerns over AWPR work
Tonight’s North Kincardine Rural Community Council devoted much of the meeting to recent planning application, mainly for houses in the countryside, but also for one wind turbine. The withdrawal of the plans for accommodation units at the Old Mill Inn was noted, as was the news that an announcement is due this Monday saying the hotel is to re-open for business. Six houses at Riverside of Blairs are nearly finished and work on two others has started.
Time was also devoted to the construction of the Aberdeen western peripheral route through the area. The erected of “No Works traffic” signs were welcomed. AWPR vehicles should be able to travel along the route and not on public roads. The exception of course will be where AWPR bridges have yet to be built. Apparently contractors are experiencing difficulties in recruiting drivers locally. Representatives of the AWPR team declined to attend the community council, but offered an invitation to visit the visitor centre at their base north of Stonehaven. It is open during normal working hours from Monday to Saturday.
The number of accidents on local roads – especially the Netherley road (B979) – was also discussed, with members wondering why the debris is not removed afterwards.
The meeting heard that the bid for a community woodland at Kirkton of Maryculter has reached a crucial stage. They will find out on Friday if the Scottish Land Fund will contribute funds for the community buy-out. If successful the team will hold a fun and informal community gathering in the Kirkton on the field behind the church on Saturday 22 August from 3pm.
There were 10 members of the public present, as well as three Aberdeenshire councillors (including me!) who represent the ward.
Waiting for a train at Newtonhill …
Investment in the rail network does pay off, as a report about Laurencekirk to next week’s Aberdeenshire Council infrastructure services committee shows. Just how long do we have to wait for Aberdeen crossrail and a station at Newtonhill?
Here is the report:
Laurencekirk Station has out-performed projected patronage with some 92,470 passengers in 2012/13. This is approximately 2.5 times more than the 36,000 passenger forecast used in the business case.
In May, Transport Scotland published the results of an evaluation into the effectiveness of the re-opening of Laurencekirk Station in May 2009. A survey of users indicated that 58 per cent use the station for commuting (with more than 75 per cent of those travelling into Aberdeen). Half of which stated that they would have driven to work had the station not reopened. Laurencekirk Station was found to have removed around 2.6 million vehicle kilometres from the local and regional road network.
The return for each pound spent was calculated at £3.20.
Why do we need more councillors?
Aberdeenshire Council will have two more councillors if proposals by the Local Government Boundary Commission go ahead. That will mean 70 councillors, with an extra one each at Turriff and East Garioch.
Locally the commission wants to transfer Kirkton of Maryculter from the North Kincardine ward to the Stonehaven and Lower Deeside ward.
Today the commission launched a public consultation so that everyone can have their say. More information on the website: http://www.lgbc-scotland.gov.uk/…/5th_electo…/aberdeenshire/ Oh, and by the way, I don’t see why we need more councillors!
Travellers plans at Hillside
The travellers who have camped to the north-west of the Findon A90 interchange north of Hillside have told council officers they intend to stay about a week.
Post box for Chapelton
After a long battle, I have finally got an answer from Royal Mail confirming they will be putting a post box or two in Chapelton. But such bureaucracy! That’s what happens when things get centralised. Here is what they had to say:
“Thank you for your further email regarding your request for information on proposed Post Box installations in Chapelton.
“To deal with your enquiry I have contacted the local Collections Planning Manager. They have confirmed that they do agree that the new development warrants the installation of a Post Box due to the number of proposed houses being built and as such are currently liaising with the developers for a suitable site. There has been a delay in this process as the developers initially requested a wall box to be installed however these are no longer in production. As such the developers are currently looking into an alternative location and until this information is provided to the Collections Planning Manager I am sorry but we are unable to proceed further with the installation.
“Once we receive details of the proposed site, we will then liaise with the Highway Authority to obtain clearance, as well as contacting the utility companies to ensure that the proposed site does not interfere with existing pipes or cables, etc. We would then expect the box to be installed within 12 weeks.”
Cookney Hall reopens
Cookney Hall is open again after the latest phase of refurbishment. I was astonished by the great work that has been done, especially in the last two months, when I attended the Friends of Cookney Hall barbecue this afternoon. Tasty burgers and a good blether too!
If you fancy hiring the hall, there are details on the website:http://www.cookneyhall.webeden.co.uk/#
Discussion over travellers
Tonight Portlethen’s community council met and as usual discussed a wide range of issues. Two members of the public and three Aberdeenshire councillors were there. Here are some of the items that caught my attention:
– A police officer was also present as the community council discussed the recent unauthorised encampment by travellers north of Hillside. There was consensus that the police’s hands are tied and that stricter laws are required. But until there are official halting sites it would appear this will be a recurring issue. The officer confirmed that there had been one attempted shoplifting incident at Asda. He added that some people from the settled community also commit shoplifting. The site currently favoured by travellers is owned by Scottish Ministers.
– The chairman said he had had a complaint about a speeding mobility scooter. Apparently the maximum speed allowed on a pavement is 4mph.
– It is proposed that the access road into the City South industrial area at Hillside is called Pioneer Drive.
– Work has started on resurfacing the rutted Bruntland Road.
– Aberdeenshire Council has turned down a request for more Christmas lighting fitments on street lights in Muirend Road or outside Portlethen Academy.
– Kincardine and Mearns community safety group is to continue for the moment, at least to its next annual general meeting. There is some £3000 available for suitable projects. Applications are welcome. One option suggested was a defibrilator in Old Portlethen.
– BT has given an assurance that there are sufficient phone number available for the Portlethen area.
– A suggestion was made that Aberdeenshire Council should use compulsory purchase orders to buy empty properties such as flats and houses so they can be put to use.
– The next meeting is on 25 August.