Huntly McDonald's plan to go before councillors

New branches of McDonald’s and Starbucks in the north-east at Huntly could see progress as planning chiefs have recommended approving a £5 million business parkon the outskirts of the town.

Just over a year agoAberdeen-based developer West Coast Estates (WCE), in partnership with Deans of Huntly announced the proposals for the new business park called Linnorie.

The roadside development would encompass a food hub and a super-fast electric car charging station – Fastned's third one in Scotland – just off the A96 opposite the existing Asda store and adjacent to the mart.

Bill Dean, owner and managing director of Dean’s of Huntly, said in a supporting statement at the time of application: “This is a unique opportunity for an established home-grown business such as Dean’s to work with some of the world’s leading brands to create a new place for people to meet and eat, while putting the infrastructure in place to support the growth of electric vehicles.

“Huntly is already a popular destination on the tourist trail and this development would provide a significant economic boost to the area, while creating new jobs for the local area and providing work for the construction sector in the north- east.”

The application will go before members of Aberdeenshire Council’s Marr area committee on Tuesday where it its being recommended for approval by the planning service having received a total of 413 representations, of which just over 80 per cent were in favour.

The new business park is projected to create around 100 local jobs and employment opportunities during construction.

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