A housing developer will go head-to-head with Aberdeenshire Council in a row over access to a new £37million school site.
Work on Alford Community Campus is currently underway, and will eventually replace the village’s aging primary and secondary schools as well as providing sports facilities for all residents.
In order to progress with the scheme, the council wants to build an access road to the north of Greystone Road.
However, the Stewart Milne Group (SMG) owns the land, and has lodged an objection to the compulsory purchase order amid claims the authority has moved the road closer to 198 houses that it is currently building.
Now a Scottish Government Reporter will hold an inquiry to resolve the dispute, which has been rumbling on since late 2013.
In SMG’s letter of objection, submitted by its agents Ryden, the firm argues there is the potential for noise and flooding issues if the road is built along the route the council is now proposing.
The letter, which stresses SMG is supportive of the wider project, adds: “The route of the road has since been moved to the east to the detriment of my client’s housing land. The new route leaves an insufficient buffer for landscape and noise attenuation between the road and their housing land that obtained planning permission.
“Proximity of the road to the houses that have previously obtained planning consent will reduce the value of the houses.
“The impact of the proposal will place a heavy burden on the surface water drainage in the area being developed by Stewart Milne Group Ltd and increase both the risk of flooding and the cost of designing and building a mitigating solution. The Alford Academy access road should be designed so it does not have any impact on surface water drainage in my client’s land.”
Last night, a spokeswoman for Aberdeenshire Council said: “We have received notification from the Directorate of Planning and Environmental Appeals that an inquiry will be held on the compulsory purchase of land at Alford for the construction of a roundabout for the new relief road to the new community campus.
“Negotiations will continue with the current landowners.”
Nobody from Stewart Milne was available to comment yesterday.