Four north-east sites earmarked for travellers will be visited by councillors later this summer.
Aberdeenshire Council has identified four plots of land that could be turned into stopover sites in the short-term while more permanent traveller accommodation is developed.
Now members of the gypsy/traveller sub-committee have agreed to visit each site so they can decide if they would be suitable, and what impact – if any – they would have on surrounding neighbours and businesses.
Officers have identified land at Golf Road, Ellon, east of the A96 Aberdeen-Inverness road by the old Inverurie paper mill and a council depot in Fourdon Road, Laurencekirk as potential stop-over sites.
Aikey Brae at Old Deer is also on the table – despite being rejected as a permanent site for travelling families due to huge objection last year.
Douglas Edwardson, head of housing for the council, told the sub-committee that initial assessments of the suitability of each site had been carried out, and that more work – including a public consultation – would be made in the coming months.
In the meantime, he suggested members should visit each site to access the topography and surroundings.
“We’re proposing these sites for further investigation,” he said.
“We need to do this, as we are clear of the need and demand out there.”
Councillors did not feel they knew enough about each of the sites to discuss their merits yesterday, so agreed to visit all four – along with Greenbanks in Banff, which local councillor Ian Gray suggested would allow members to see how they could replicate its success.
Stonehaven councillor Graeme Clark said he knew the proposals for the four sites, which vary in size from six pitches in Ellon to 14 at Aikey Brae, would be controversial.
“We’re under pressure to find halting sites, so well done to officers for putting this out there,” he said. “There will always be communities opposed to doing this but it’s the only we can do it.
“Unless developers put them into their plans, we will have to parachute them into communities. There will be flack, but what else can we do?”
Committee chairman Allan Hendry echoed Mr Clark, and said the authority was doing its best to meet the demands of both the settled and travelling communities.
Turriff councillor Anne Robertson added: “We’ve got an identified need and demand for sites across Aberdeenshire and I think this is a good starting point for further investigation.
“We are not making any decisions today, but should allow this process to progress.”
What the councillors said
Councillors heard there were several options for developing and managing the sites.
Head of housing Douglas Edwardson told members that all four of the proposed stopover sites are owned by Aberdeenshire Council, but that a group or third party – such as a neighbouring local authority or travellers – could be brought in to develop or manage the site, or do both.
Around £126,000 has been set aside in the capital plan for the development of a site, but Mr Edwardson said more funding could be available from the Scottish Government – which is pushing for more accommodation for travelling families.
The Aikey Brae site is the largest proposed, with 14 pitches. The Thainstone site could have 12, while Laurencekirk could have between eight and 10. The smallest one is proposed for Ellon, with six stances.
Councillors heard the Thainstone proposal may be hampered by access issues, and Mr Edwardson said it would be a “short to medium term” option as the land is earmarked for the A96 grade-separated junction.
Councillor Graeme Clark pointed out the Laurencekirk encampment would be surrounded by a “large-scale” scheme included in the local development plan, and existing housing.
And committee chairman Allan Hendry said an objection had already been received by Macdonald Golf Club in Ellon, but told the committee a family had previously stayed on the land for a “considerable amount of time” with no problems or complaints.
Site visits will be held in August, and the sub-committee will discuss the proposals on September 2 before reporting back to the policy and resources committee the following week.
However, Central Buchan councillor Jim Ingram was disappointed that his request for local members to attend the site visits along with the sub-committee was rejected.
Members agreed it would be better for them to visit alone, and that a wider consultation within the council and community would be held later.
However Mr Ingram said: “I would have thought they would allow local elected members to attend the site visits so they can familiarise themselves with the surroundings. The local members are the elected representatives of these local communities and to some extent we are being excluded.”