RESIDENTS in Portlethen claimed at a public meeting last week that they had been forgotten about after Aberdeenshire Council announced last year that they had no plans to build a promised new primary school in the town.

Officials from the education, planning and legal departments of Aberdeenshire Council attended the meeting at Portlethen Academy last Thursday evening to take part in a a question and answer session attended by more than 80 concerned residents, who are worried about the future of school provision in the area.

Most concerns centred around whether a new school would be built eventually, and how the existing primary schools in Portlethen would cope in the meantime.

Head of Aberdeenshire Council’s education services Wilf Weir said: “We have significantly invested in the two existing schools and will continue to do so.”

But others raised the question of whether any community facilities would be provided for residents at Hillside, as there are currently none.

North Kincardine Councillor Alistair Bews said: “Why can’t the Planning Gain money already received be used to build community facilities at Hillside?

“Portlethen is the town that Aberdeenshire Council forgot. We have received nothing that we have been promised.”

Aberdeenshire Council’s Head of Property Services, Allan Whyte, said: “The site for the school is still available and there is a possibility that recreational facilities may be given to the community by the Stewart Milne Group under the planning gain scheme.”

The local authority hope to form a representative group made up of volunteers who can keep up a dialogue between the council and worried residents.

Community council chairman Ron Sharp said that while the meeting had still left issues unresolved, a representative group could be the best outcome.

He said: “I felt that a lot of specific issues weren’t dealt with, and people were confused as to which official to direct each question to. I would hope that a representative committee would be a psoitive way forward at this stage.”

Hillside resident Stephen Harvey said: “I think the general feeling from the meeting was one of further frustration. Too many times our questions still remained unanswered, they seemed to have a set script and didn’t want to deviate too far from it.

“However the fact the council have suggested setting up a ‘working group’ gives us a further opportunity to continue what will hopefully be meaningful dialogue.

“The council have admitted that it will take at least two and a half years from the date of decision to build the school. Even now, that will be too late for the school pupils who will be crammed into the existing schools.”

Labour candidate for the area Alison Evison said: “The schools’ consultation meeting held in Portlethen on Thursday did not provide an answer to the lack of facilities at Hillside.

“However there is land at Hillside which could be made available by Stewart Milne Homes for the educational and recreational use of the community, once, it is said, the trigger point of 400 new houses has been reached.

“It would seem that the way forward would be for this land to be acquired as soon as possible by Aberdeenshire Council and used in the short term for a community hall and games pitch.

“These facilities could ultimately form part of a new school, when that eventually becomes accepted as a requirement for the area. In the short-term they could be used for a pre-school group and other community education activities.

“A games pitch is much needed by the children and young people in the area who currently play football in very dangerous locations along the side of roads.”

Vandalism at the toilets on the beach front at Stonehaven was so bad last year that the Community COuncil had to close them a month early as the writing on the walls was so bad they “wouldn’t want families seeing it.”

The vandalism reached a point that it was happening every day to the toilet block which the Community Council took over the running of from Aberdeenshire Council. As well as graffiti on the walls in black marker pen, the person or persons responsible had been taking power tools into the toilets and drilling holes in the walls. On one occasion a step ladder was used to steal the lights from the free public facility. Whilst the incidents have been reported to the police, it was explained that there is very little the police can do unless those responsible are caught in the act. Members of the Community Council were told that a police officer could be standing outside the cubicle whilst someone vandalises the inside yet nothing could be done as they did not see the vandalism take place.

At Stonehaven and District Community Council’s meeting this week it was discussed whether the Council would continue to run the toilets and whether they could take on such “determined” vandals. Some Community Councillors felt they should try to continue to keep them open despite the fact that it cost over double the estimated £500 to keep them running last year. However other members of the Council felt it was not their responsibility to run the toilets and that they should be handed back to Aberdeenshire Council or put through asset transfer. However it was explained that the local authority would simply shut the toilets. Community Councillor David Fleming felt that they should come up with a way to keep the toilets open saying they should “not give in to the vandals.” A number of options including a security camera were discussed and will be further explored at the next meeting.

The chair of the Kincardine and Mearns area committee has claimed that there was no way to save the Heugh Hotel and that the committee was “forced” to grant the change of use application.

Councillor Paul Melling discussed the decision with members of Stonehaven and District Community Council at their meeting this week and explained his use of the casting vote which resulted in change of use being granted for the hotel.

He said: “I don’t think anybody particularly wanted to shut it as a hotel but we were forced as a committee.”

He explained that they had very little choice as to what to do, as if they did not agree with the officers recommendation they were legally left with no other options.

He continued: “We can quite clearly see the uncomfortable position we were in. We had a split committee and it was up to me to use my casting vote.

“I did feel that we didn’t have any other option as the report before us from the owner said it isn’t a viable place as a hotel and there wasn’t suitable income for them to run it as a hotel.

“We had to give them the opportunity for their future. As sad as it was we were not in a position to tell others to do this or to do that with their lives.”

Commmunity Councillor Allan Sutherland questioned the point of a vote if the committee had no options. He said: “Supposing the Councillors had voted against a change of use, are you saying that decision would have been overturned?”

Cllr Melling explained that he sought legal advice and that if the committee had refused change of use then there was nothing to guarantee that the owners of the Heugh couldn’t just abandon the hotel, leaving the building derelict.

He also explained that there was no policy to support refusing the application and so the decision would have been appealed and permission would have been granted anyway.

When lodging their objection to the plans for the Heugh Hotel the Community Council had used the policy from the emerging local plan of advertising businesses as going concerns for twelve months prior to change of use being granted as a reason for refusal. However it was explained to the council that this policy was not yet in force.

This caused Community Councillor Andrew Morton to accuse the Council of “cherry picking policies.” Cllr Melling assured them this is not the case and explained that until the new local plan is agreed that the policies in place are that of the current plan.

Councillor Mike Sullivan said: “We all deplore the fact that Stonehaven has lost another hotel, but in this case we have only lost six rooms. Is is sad but it is not catastrophic.”

Councillor Graham Clark explained that the vote had not been pointless. He said: “Yes we can change things. If we can’t change things there is no sense in having Councillors. Unfortunately in this situation it was a split vote and we lost it.”

A member of the public at the meeting then asked about how Cllr Melling cast his deciding vote, he asked how the decision was made if it was completely up to the chair or if he had to go with the “Status-quo.”

Cllr Melling explained that the final decision was purely his choice.

Finally what the Community Council did feel has come from the Heugh hotel situation is a clear indication that the policies have to be in place to allow them to reach a decision on planning applications. It was discussed that because of the nature of the Community Council they will always be too close to decisions as they will know the parties involved.

They said this was particularly relevant to the Heugh as they all know the owner and know the amount of hard work he has put into the hotel, and how much it has benefited Stonehaven over the years.

Nearly a year after councillors submitted it to Scottish Ministers, Aberdeenshire Council is hopeful the results of an examination of its Local Development Plan will be received in coming weeks.

This represents a significant milestone, and the start of the final phase of the adoption of the plan.

The conclusion of the examination of the proposed plan is taking longer than the six months anticipated when it was submitted in March last year.

This is thought to be mainly due to the complexities of the issues in the area and the demand for alternate development land.

The examination is looking at objections to the proposed plan and is being carried out by the Government’s Directorate of Planning and Environmental Appeals, on behalf of Ministers.

It should be the last phase in the preparation of the planning blueprint before its adoption for everyday use.

Following examination, the reporter will submit a report to the Aberdeenshire Council with conclusions and recommendations on each issue.

This report is largely binding on planning authorities, meaning that they may only depart from the recommendations if there are exceptional circumstances.

The Proposed Plan was drawn up after two years of extensive consultation and engagement with communities, landowners and developers.

It is a blueprint for the future development of the area and sets out ambitious long-term and site-specific visions.

It will provide a practical framework within which the outcome of planning applications can be decided with a degree of certainty and efficiency.

Getting to this stage has taken more than four years and is the culmination of a lot of hard work undertaken by the council’s Development Plan Team.

Chairman of Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee (ISC) Peter Argyle, said: “Given the geographical size and demographic spread of Aberdeenshire, the examination has had to consider a large number of complex issues and competing demands.

“We do now expect to receive the reporter’s report on the examination in March, though I have to emphasise this is totally outwith our control.

“We would hope to seek approval for the notice of intention to adopt the plan at the full council meeting on April 26.”

Pizza, pasta and profiteroles are all time-honoured Italian cuisine. We’re a nation of Italian food lovers, but have you ever considered learning the language?

Italian expert, Katherine Thornborrow is encouraging people to sign up for her beginners’ Italian classes, which will take place at the Mackie Academy every Monday from 7-9pm.

Katherine teaches “practical” Italian and cultural insights from her years’ spent living in Italy. For example how to decipher a menu, ask directions or buy a train ticket while on holiday.

According to Katherine: “The culture and fabulous food are a big attraction. To say Italian is one of the most expressive languages in the world is not an exaggeration. Just look at Strictly Come Dancing judge, Bruno Tonioli, who is typically Italian with his expressive gestures and one liners.

“I like to create a relaxed learning atmosphere, there’s no pressure to speak but I do encourage students to speak Italian from the moment the step into my class. I use a variety of teaching methods to make my classes fun, enjoyable and interactive so everyone can learn at their own pace.”

Katherine’s love affair with Italy began when she went to evening classes many years ago. She spent a gap year volunteering in a holiday home on the Italian Riviera, afterwards she worked in a home for the elderly in the Piedmonte region. She went on to study a degree in Italian and during her third year she worked in a tourist information office in Genoa.

“I loved living and working in Italy and making friends with the locals. Italians are such a warm, welcoming nation. They’re really encouraging when you make an effort, however small, to speak their language.”

Local businesswoman, Karen Scott, who has signed up for the classes, added: “I’m really looking forward to learning Italian. I attended one of Katherine’s introductory classes and was impressed with how much vocabulary I picked up in the space of two hours.

“By the end of the class I was able to say a bit about myself and order my favourite food and drink in Italian. It’s never too late to learn a new language and I would encourage others to sign up for the classes so they can speak with the locals the next time they go to Italy on holiday.”

Students will benefit from small class sizes. All ages and abilities are welcome to join, for further enquiries please contact Alistair Lawrie or Mary Gove on 01569 762688.