Developers behind plans for 1,000 new houses in an Aberdeenshire town will today make the case for their traffic-busting proposals.
Scotia Homes wants to create a “neighbourhood expansion” of Ellon by building 980 properties, employment land and community facilities at Cromleybank, where the new academy is currently being built.
The firm carried out a traffic assessment, which suggested a bypass would be the best way to ensure the development would not cause additional congestion in the town centre.
The route would take traffic from the A920 Oldmeldrum-Ellon road on to South Road and out on to the A90 Aberdeen-Peterhead route – keeping it away from the town’s already-busy junctions and bridge crossing.
During a public consultation on the whole project in October, the bypass was put forward as the most effective way of easing waiting times.
But afterwards, councillors argued Scotia was not following the conditions of the land allocation in the local development plan, which states a second road bridge across the River Ythan should be built.
Today the developers will hold another consultation, looking at the pros and cons of the bypass and a bridge crossing.
Derrick Thomson, director at Scotia, said: “After the last one, councillors wanted us to do a more specific consultation on just the bridge crossing and bypass.
“We haven’t changed our opinion, based on the transport assessment, that the bypass is a good long-term solution for Ellon.
“The consultation will show very clearly the facts that are favourable, and not so favourable, of both the bridge and bypass. It will allow people to see all the work that has been done on the transport side of things, and hopefully bring some clarity.
“We had great feedback from the previous public consultation, 110 people come to it and of that, it was a favourable outcome towards the development and people are looking forward to seeing it happen sooner rather than later.”
The consultation will run from 2pm-8pm at the New Inn Hotel in Ellon.
As well as the houses, land at Cromleybank has also been earmarked for a fourth primary school and community facilities, which could include a new GP surgery.
Scotia hopes to lodge its full planning application in March.