Plans for a by-pass alongside a proposed 1,000 home development in an Aberdeenshire town have come under scrutiny from councillors.
Scotia Homes has proposed building 980 houses, employment land and community facilities at Cromleybank, to the south of Ellon.
At their first public consultation on the development last month, Scotia Homes displayed design proposals for a bypass to take traffic bound for the A90 Aberdeen-Peterhead road away from the town centre.
However the land at Cromleybank was selected for the development of the town in Aberdeenshire Council’s 2012 Local Development Plan on the grounds that the developer include a second road bridge across the River Ythan connecting the site to Ellon.
The town currently only has one road bridge which is frequently congested during peak traffic times.
Yesterday Ellon councillors said the developers had promoted the plans for a by-pass as a “more viable option” before suggesting the bridge as an option.
Councillor Rob Merson said: “Cromleybank was favoured by the council officers and that was predominantly because it was on the south side of Ellon.
“It would be less traffic coming through the town, connectivity between Cromleybank and the old town being crucial.
“When we vouched for Cromleybank we had a precondition there would have to be a road bridge included in that.”
The by-pass proposed taking traffic from the A920 Oldmeldrum-Ellon road on to the B9005 South Road and out to the A90.
Scotia Homes has previously said that traffic assessments they carried out in the area had shown the road would be more effective in easing traffic at the town’s junctions.
They declined to comment yesterday.
Liberal Democrat councillor for the town, Isobel Davidson, said: “To now see the new proposals recently exhibited in Ellon with no inclusion of a road bridge is deeply disappointing.”
SNP councillor Mr Merson added: “They have come forward with their plan for a by-pass, which they are entitled to do, but we would like to see the public being consulted on both of these options.
“There are advantages and disadvantages to both schemes. People in Cromleybank, what are they going to want? We just want to open up the debate to everyone.
“The important thing is we make the right choice for the future of Ellon.”
Around 745 homes are set to be built in the first phase of development at Cromleybank, with the full planning application set to be launched in 2015.
