Councillors predicted a new golden age for the heart of Ellon as they unanimously approved plans for a huge new town centre office complex.
The new local authority building will be created on the old Ellon Academy site.
It will being a new library, family resource centre and registrar’s office together under one roof – with space for about 160 workers.
Members of the Formartine Area Committee rubber-stamped the proposal today.
Ellon offices approved amid high hopes for business boost
Councillor Louise McAllister reckons the Aberdeenshire Council development will inject new life into Ellon.
She said: “I think the regeneration of the town centre will only be helped by the addition of this building.
“The additional footfall for the town centre shops and cafés will help to reduce what was lost when the school moved.
“It’s hoped that most of the staff in the building will venture out into the streets of Ellon during their lunch breaks.
“That’s really going to be a positive for us.”
Unhappy neighbour invites councillors to his ‘bedroom or lounge’ before making decision
Nigel Wooley, who lives across the road, attended the virtual meeting to urge councillors to urge councillors to change the layout of the scheme.
He said: “There is going to be material loss of light from this building to the properties belonging to myself, my neighbours and those in Banavie Court.
“We are going to be overshadowed by this building with its current location.”
He added that the offices would create a “significant loss of privacy” by overlooking into the bedrooms of his and other properties along Bridge Street.
“You’re welcome to come round to my house, come round to my lounge or bedroom, and you will come to the same conclusion about loss of privacy,” he added.
Council offices a ‘fantastic addition’ to Ellon
But these concerns were swatted aside by officials who argued that his home is too far away to have been taken into account during preparatory work.
And Gillian Owen led calls for the application to be approved.
The Tory councillor said the development would be a “fantastic addition” to the town and would “help with the local economy”.
Speed restriction to be added to road
She added a condition that would see a rumble strip installed on Union Street to encourage drivers to slow down.
Her suggestion was unanimously supported by the rest of the committee.
The new facility will be built on the western side of Bridge Street but the north of the site will remain empty and is expected to be developed separately.
Demolition work started on the two former Ellon Academy buildings back in September 2016 and the sites had been lying empty since.
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