Boundary proposal raises questions from community council
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
As part of an ongoing review of community council boundaries, Inverurie Community Council proposed to Aberdeenshire Council last week that they should take over part of Kintore.
Responding to the request, Kintore and District Community Council vice chairman Ken McEwen confirmed that this was proposed late last year and that he and council officer Paul Davison had attended a meeting with Inverurie Community Council representatives.
He explained: "What they were proposing was that they should take the red area incorporating Thainstone and Crichie into their community council area.
"In return, they proposed that they would hand over the blue area covering Balbithan to Kintore and District Community Council (KDCC).
"At the time, we said that - due to circumstances within our community council – we were not in a position to make a decision on the matter. "Subsequently, we have heard nothing more until now.
"The matter has come to the fore again was part of a review of community council boundaries."
You can read about the community council boundary review at https://www.grampianonline.co.uk/news/plans-for-potential-changes-to-community-councils-assessed-218881/
KDDC points out that losing the Thainstone area would:
• Reduce the number of business parks within its boundary by 50 per cent (down from four to two).
• Take Thainstone Mart out of its area.
• Remove the Thainstone House Hotel from its area.
• Remove the developing Kirkwood Business Park, on the paper mill site, from its area.
• Take away the proposed Agile Energy Energy from Waste plant and energy park.
He continued: "It is hard to see an argument that Inverurie needs a bigger territory with more businesses and more houses.
"Inverurie is already the principal commercial centre in this part of Aberdeenshire.
"In Kintore, on the other hand, it seems we are often the poor relation.
"Losing this substantial chunk of our territory and these important businesses, would surely just make us poorer."
On the suggestion that Balbithan should be incorporated into Kintore, Ken pointed out that that it would mean dealing with a whole group of new councillors and a new MSP, as the ward and constituency boundary runs along the River Don.
