Councillors have approved the development of land to the south of Fraserburgh which could create up to 600 new homes.
The plans had originally been put on hold at a previous meeting of the Banff and Buchan Area Committee when councillors sought to hold informal discussions about the site with local authority officers.
Meeting again yesterday to make their decision, the principal layout and approach for the land was finally agreed.
At their last meeting, councillors had discussed an option of creating a new roundabout half-way up Boothby Road, adjacent to the land, for access into the residential areas of the site.
But Gary Purves, a senior planner for firm Knight Frank, said yesterday that such a requirement would put the entire plan at risk.
He said: “The landowners have made it clear to me that the land simply isn’t viable (for an access roundabout on Boothby Road). Essentially, the plan would be mothballed if that were a requirement.”
Fraserburgh councillor Ian Tait said he would still prefer a roundabout at Boothby Road, but conceded that it could be a deal breaker and gave the plans his support.
“We could easily have a stacking lane coming up from the Tesco roundabout. The fact that the committee approved the present plans doesn’t mean it can’t be adjusted,” he later added, suggesting that he would be making that recommendation to council officers.
As it stands, access to the development will be provided through a new, fifth exit to the nearby Tesco roundabout.
Mr Purves also said that his firm had recognised that affordable housing was “essential” for the town.
He gave assurances that 36 affordable homes would be available in the first phase of the land’s development.
The first phase of development at Kirkton could additionally provide a new primary school, with a medical centre scheduled to be introduced in the second.
The development, which will transform the land over the next 20 years, is part of the long-running Fraserburgh Masterplan project which was launched more than a decade ago to make the town a more attractive place to live in and visit.
In their masterplan statement, the developer has said that Kirkton will become the new gateway into the coastal town and “announce Fraserburgh’s presence”.