A north-east’s community wait for a long-promised community park is nearing an end.
Developer Avant Homes included the play area in its initial plans for Kingseat, near Newmachar when it lodged proposals for 300 new homes in 2004.
But the project stalled, the housing development changed hands and is now owned by ZTR investments.
The council was unhappy at the lack of progress and decided to build the park themselves and then recoup the costs from those involved.
Aberdeenshire Council decided to step in and make it a reality.
Work on the project began last September and the play area is due to open in a matter of months.
Carrie Zeiler from Kingseat Community Association welcomed moves to end the protracted wait for the new facilities.
She said: “We are thrilled that it’s finally here. We believe it’s due to be open sometime in the spring.
“Hopefully, this will help the community feel a little more united and will give the children somewhere safe to play, so they don’t feel the need to explore the dangerous derelict buildings.
“There is still a lot of the development to complete, but this is a good start.”
East Garioch councillor Martin Ford raised the issue in summer 2017 and said he was “delighted” that progress is finally being made.
He added: “It had become clear that if we waited for the developers to put in the play park, as they should have done, we might end up waiting for ever.
“It is obviously not right for a community the size of Kingseat not to have a play park, so I was very much in favour of the council stepping in to get the play park built and then seeking to recover the cost.
“The play park has been built exactly as per the original planning permission. In other words, the council has done precisely what the developers should have done.”
Avant Homes was approached by The Press and Journal yesterday. ZTR Investments could not be reached for comment.
