Councillors have given their support to plans to build a supermarket, hotel and restaurant in Stonehaven despite planners’ objections.
Four separate developers have sites earmarked for large supermarket developments.
Members of the Kincardine and Mearns area committee gave their unanimous support to plans by FM Ury Limited to build a 3,750 sqm supermarket, 50 bedroom hotel and restaurant on the Ury Estate but rejected the other three plans.
The committee will make a recommendation to a full meeting of Aberdeenshire Council on June 30 that planning permission in principle for the Ury site should be approved.
The developer is also behind the scheme for an £80 million Jack Nicklaus Championship Golf Course.
In each of the planning reports to councillors it stated: “The proposal will result in a significant adverse retail impact on both shops in Stonehaven town centre, and the existing Co-op on David Street and the scale of adverse retail impact will undermine the vitality and viability of the town centre.”
The Sluie Estate Trust is proposing to build a supermarket and petrol station on its site at the New Mains of Ury.
Drum Property Group and Barratt North Scotland are proposing to build 500 homes and a supermarket at the Mill of Forest, and Stewart Milne Homes lodged plans to build 250 homes and a large supermarket at Mains of Cowie.