New Port Elphinstone shop approved

Plans to build a new convenience store in Port Elphinstone have been approved.

H M Singh Enterprises had applied to Aberdeenshire Council seeking permission to demolish the popular Port Paper Shop and replace it with a new larger shop.

The owners took over the newsagent on Elphinstone Road back in 2017.

But they found the store to be “very restricted” for space and noted it was “awkward” for customers with prams as well as the elderly.

The tight shop space was also highlighted during the Covid pandemic when social distancing measures were in place.

H.M. Singh Enterprises argued that the replacement store was needed due to an “increase in local demand” and to provide customers with a wider range of stock.

The proposal proved to be popular with local residents.

One supporter, Paul Dickie, said: “The shop is handy for pepople who have no transport to take them into town to gete daily essentials.

“The current shop is too small at present and needs to expand to continue to serve the growing customer base.”

And now the application has been given the go-ahead by council planners.

They said the design of the proposed shop was “acceptable and appropriate” for the area.

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