The local authority is facing growing opposition to proposals to create a travellers site in an Aberdeenshire town.
The council’s gypsy-travellers sub-committee has earmarked land at Ellon’s Golf Road as a possible stop-off point for families.
But the location was branded “inappropriate” last night amid mounting protests against the scheme.
Andrew Plews, secretary of Ellon Community Council, said: “The community council objects to the use of the Golf Road area as a stopover site for travellers.
“Ellon Community Council will continue to follow developments on the use of the Golf Road site and express the view that the site is inappropriate for use as stopover area with approximately six pitches.”
He added that the group had received a “huge amount of feedback from the residents of Ellon” on the issue.
However, local councillor Gillian Owen said the council had been caught in a game of “piggy in the middle” between the Scottish Government and the wishes of residents in identifying sites.
She added the local authority was considering the Golf Road land because it received few complaints when unauthorised camps were set up on the ground in 2013.
There are a further three sites planned across Aberdeenshire, which include a council depot in Laurencekirk’s Fordoun Road, a plot beside the old Inverurie paper mill and Aikey Brae near Old Deer.
Mrs Owen said: “I understand that some residents are totally against this, yet when the travellers were parked up no one felt strongly enough to complain to the council at the time, so this is probably why we find this area on the agenda.
“The council is piggy in the middle, the Scottish Government continually tell us that we as a council have to sort sites out, it has been mooted that the council could face financial penalties if we do not do.
“I have always said, we need to have halting sites so that the police can use the law to move unauthorised camps on, I know how unpopular that view is but I think we have to be pragmatic.”
An Aberdeenshire Council spokeswoman said a formal consultation on the plans was scheduled to start in spring next year.
Ellon councillor Isobel Davidson added: “It does help the council to manage the travellers when they are in inappropriate places if we have places where we can ask them to go.”