A housing application has been given the green light in Marykirk despite fears it will exacerbate traffic problems in the village.
Kincardine and Mearns Area Committee this week determined the application from Fotheringham Property Developments for 27 homes in Marykirk, agreeing with officer recommendations that the development should be met with approval.
A proposed amendment – defeated by eight votes to two – had sought to attach a condition to the grant which would have obliged the developer to provide a safe crossing point as part of the construction process.
The houses will be built on vacant land beside Wester Balmanno Way and will contain a mixture of detached, semi-detached and terraced houses.
Mearns SNP councillor Leigh Wilson said: “The application had to be approved because it complied with the Local Development Plan and to reject it would have seen the decision simply overturned on appeal, but I still have an ambition to explore a form of speed control system in the area – something that has long been a wish of the local residents.
“I supported the amendment which, yes, would have granted the application, but it would have also added a condition approving the design of an appropriate crossing before any building work started.
“The Marykirk junction is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous in the area, and although the new flyover will be incredibly welcome, that is still a few years away.”
Mr Wilson said he has thrown his support behind proposals to install a safe crossing point in the village.
He said: “The issue of appropriate road crossings is not just an isolated issue here, it is something increasingly coming to my attention in a number of rural settlements – including St Cyrus.
“I think there has to be a wider debate about how we manage traffic in rural areas, and certainly in Marykirk, to increasingly build houses without considering an appropriate road crossing would seem to lack foresight.”
Last year, local residents stepped up their campaign to have traffic calming measures installed in the village following a number of near misses.
Traffic monitoring has subsequently been carried out by both Aberdeenshire Council and Police Scotland.
The application received a total of 17 objections including Mearns Community Council which said a new development risks making the problem worse.
Chair Christopher Rushbridge said: “There have been a number of requests made to Aberdeenshire Council to provide a crossing on the main road in Marykirk, near the village hall.
“They have been refused on each occasion for various reasons.
“This is a crossing point for people accessing the bus stop, including pupils travelling to Mearns Academy.
“It is also the place where many children have to cross to get to and from Marykirk Primary School.
“Traffic through the village is routinely in excess of the 30 mph limit, making it difficult to cross the A937 safely at certain times of the day.
“The approved new development will inevitably add an appreciable number to those already crossing the road here, so it is important that this need should be addressed without further delay.”
Local resident Lesley McNamee said most days she finds herself ‘running’ across the road with her children and has had a couple of very near misses.
She said: “We have already voiced our concerns and I feel that the addition of more houses would only add to the traffic issue.”
