Details of a major expansion to an Aberdeenshire town will be discussed by councillors today.
Members of Aberdeenshire Council’s Garioch area committee are being urged to approve the masterplan for the Kintore East development site.
The town has expanded rapidly in the last 10 years but locals say facilities such as more shops, a health centre and a petrol station are needed before any more houses are built.
The local development plan, adopted in 2012, identifies a site on the eastern side of the town for 600 homes that could be built between 2017 and 2023. According to the document, a new academy would have to be confirmed before planning permission is granted.
Other community facilities such as the new primary school at Midmill – which is expected to be ready in Autumn 2016 – would also have to be in place.
An application for planning permission in principle for the first tranche of housing was submitted in November but will not be determined unless the masterplan is approved.
Under the current proposals, a neighbourhood centre would be created at the northern entrance of the development which would include small shops, a mini-supermarket or other small business units.
Stephen Archer, Aberdeenshire Council’s director of infrastructure services, said: “The areas of the site which are suitable for development have been reduced considerably due to the physical and historic constraints of the site and to avoid areas of flooding of the Tuach burn.
“Residential development is therefore to the south east of Tuach Hill avoiding these sensitive areas.
“The development will start at the northern entrance to the site with the neighbourhood centre forming the first phase.”
A new pedestrian bridge over the Tuach burn would be built before any housing and would provide a link between the new primary school and the development site.
A planning application for a Sainsbury’s supermarket to the south of Kintore has also been lodged with the authority.
The proposed convenience store could be the retail giant’s first Aberdeenshire branch and is expected to create 20 jobs.