Newtonhill & District Village Association

What a long runner , we have not had such an active topic for many a while.
The original purpose of the thread was to make people aware of the proposal and gauge feelings about it. So now we are sure, some are for, some are against and we've had a wee bit interesting banter along the way.
As the deadline has passed for adding any meaningful comments that may influence the outcome perhaps we should take a time out to wait for a result?
Eilz

Interesting to note that you could enter/exit the site in an articulated lorry without having to cross over onto the opposite side of the road - but how many other HGV drivers would be able to??

Again thanks to those involved for the effort on organising the event.

Looking at the plans it does seem rather stuffed in.

All the discussions regarding traffic issues were valid but I think the new store will be a far safer place than outside the current shop on Skateraw Rd.

The current Buses, Vans, Lorries and Customers parking all over the street and on pavements is just a disgrace. We have children walking though that everyday on the way to school.

Thank you to Mrs Nelson, the Community Council and the NVA for arranging the Public Meeting.

This was an ideal opportunity for everyone to express their support, objection and concerns regarding the proposed development.

Many people were not in attendance, even though the turnout in my opinion was very good. Would it be a worthwhile exercise to publish here, the points raised and the show of hands during the vote? This might of course be best done after Tesco have answered the questions posed to the Committee.

Thank you once again.

Kev

Sorry, don't have a link for it. I don't always get the Leader but a friend had given me her copy :-). I didn't find out until some time after my post on Tues that they had pulled out of the meeting for the reasons given in the Leader, and mentioned in yesterdays post. They also go on to say that they would be prepared to hold their own exhibition for local residents so who knows...maybe they will :-))

But as for tomorrow - the main reason it has been called, as Eileen discussed, is to ensure that the Community Council representation to the Council is indeed representative of the feelings of the village as a whole. The Community Council is one of the bodies requiring consultation by the Council in this instance and as such needs to ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to make their feelings and thoughts known :-).

So again - please make the effort to come along tomorrow and help us to ensure that we do :-)!
Dxxxxxxxxx
(who, aside from this issue and along with another CC'er, is about to give you all the chance to get involved in having a say about anything and everything in Newtonhill, Muchalls and Cammachmore............watch this space!)

Ok, have dragged myself from the sofa where I have been quietly dying today - phoned to ask about flyers not being received in Cairnhill and have been assured that the area was assigned and dropped.
So, can I ask that if you get a chance can you email me via the contact link, if you click on my name, what your addresses are and I will forward them onto our Chair for information?
Another important thing that has arisen is that it appears Tesco had been under the impression that they were coming along to a CC meeting. As they have now become aware it is a public meeting called by the CC they are no longer sending reps along - boo :-))) Sorry about that folks - but please still come along! Remember the CC can only submit a balanced accurate response to the Council and queries to Tesco if you all come along and air them!
Thank you.....
Dxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

pps for info, the flyers/leaflets were from the Community Council and were basically just 1/4 strips of A4 with plain typing on them - nothing fancy but still a heck of a lot of work for out Chair who sorted out all the counting/batching etc :-)

*post edited cos I was being really thick and didn't realise you could email me direct that way - and wanted to confirm the Tesco details which are in the Leader today :-)

Just a quickie to let you know that I've emailed the CC chairperson to ask about the flyers as I'd be very surprised and disappointed if any Cairnhill houses were missed in the 'drop'. Wasn't my 'patch', I pottered my way around the Courts - I just love the birdy names they have :-)
Dxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hi Susan, welcome to the debate and to the Forums.

There is not enought infrastructure, in the Village, for a Tesco store. It would mean more lorries and cars

Not sure if you have seen the plans, but lorries / cars destined for the new Tesco Store, will not be coming into the village unless they are already residents, in the case of cars that is.

The new store location is to be at the top of Newtonhill Road, on the Newtonhill side of the A90, in the grassed area next to the flyover & the road that leads to it from the mini roundabout.

Having visited the only shop in the village many times in 12 years, I would say you have far greater congestion on Skateraw Road when a delivery is being made by small lorries. It's not unusual for the 3 or 4 cars that are parked on front of the shop, to be blocked in while the driver offloads.

It's the same when a bus is there, parked immediately to the front of the shop to allow passengers on & off, again, cars are blocked. This narrows the road for other traffic travelling up & down. This I would say is a hazard, especially for pedestrians trying to cross the road, yet no objections to my knowledge are being aired.

The new store has a dedicated loading bay to the side and no vehicles from what I can see will be obstructing traffic.

Considering the amount of traffic on the roads there is hardly enough room in Aberdeen never mind Newtonhill.

Again, any additional traffic destined for the store, has no need to come into Newtonhill unless they have a reason for doing so. Whether the store is there or not, they will still enter the area.

Now where did in put my fiddle?

A quite frightening prospect - ROFLMAO!! What have you started Kev????
Dxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ps Devooshka, forgot about your sparkling wit - always guaranteed to give a wee smile, bless your cotton socks :-))))))))))

Reminds me of the old telly programme - Hale & Pace. Now unless you folks walk around in tuxedo's & bow ties.............

Sorry Kev, was I a bit tetchy? it had been a long day.
Glad you have taken the time to register a response to the proposal.

The concern is that many, irrespective of being for or against, won't. Later feedback from those for whom the outcome is not to their preference will be scathing of the efforts made by others.

Look forward to seeing you on Sunday. Eilz

Reminder
Public comments to Aberdeenshire Council by Thursday 9.10.08.

Diane
Two reponses from the Management, we could become known as the NM! Eilz

KevK
Agenda. The purpose of the meeting is "to discuss the proposed Tesco store at Newtonhill Road" as indicated in the leaflet that came through your door. The same information is reproduced on the home page of this site.
The meeting was called to inform the Community Council response to the proposal rather than to submit a response based on the feelings of the minority present at the last monthly meeting.
Each property in Newtonhill has had a leaflet i.e. a formal notification of the meeting.
Had the community council notice board not been repeatedly vandalised more information could have been posted there.
The meeting has been well documented in the local press.
If only 12 people turn up, then the rest have missed the opportunity to hear what the Tesco reps and other residents have to say and voice to their own opinions.
I have forwarded your post to the Community Council Chairperson who may wish to address the points you raise.
I shall be at the meeting as NVA chairperson and a member of the Community Council.
I will treat your final two words with the contempt they deserve!

good point about the steps - however I would have thought the planners would insist on a means of getting over the other side of the A90 without having to use stairs on disability discrimination grounds. should be a fairly easily resolved matter.

I'm sure positions don't have to be so polarised - there have been some valid concerns raised here about the development that could be addressed without the plans needing to be rejected outright. eg restrictions on late night deliveries, commitment from the local bobbies to keep an eye on unacceptable behaviour, making sure the store is visually appearing not an eyesore, review of traffic management after a certain period of time following the store opening etc.

If you read the post correctly you will see it was not my post.

Dear Cairnhill resident,
I certainly didn't shoot you down in flames but I did think I made a few fair observations in my earlier post about the factors you had listed, perhaps you disagree?? Note that some of my comments discussed the 'NIMBY' issue so yes, I think you will find that it is being recognised and other views being considered :-).

And regarding my comments to Paul_T, my initial flippancy was obviously due to the rather silly statement that people will only want a Tesco because it will be handy for their shopping..........................
But I do think the follow-on statements
'Alot of people in the village dont care about Newtonhill or what happens here. All they see is a nice convenient place to get there weekly shopping from. Stuff what it will do to the look or overall apperance of the place.'
are rather arrogant generalised statements to make but that is quite different to calling a person arrogant :-). Just because many residents of the village are quite keen on a Tesco does not make them uncaring about our village and what happens here, any more than the residents not wanting a Tesco means they are more caring about the village as a whole - people are individuals and as such can have different opinions on a subject (for or against, I make no distinctions here) yet still care immensely about their environment, fellow villagers and surroundings.
As regards previous meetings, they obviously were poorly attended but can I suggest that perhaps people couldn't make it, made representations in other ways or more likely were not hugely for or against and so therefore didn't feel the need to go rather than didn't actually care about the village - a subtle difference but perhaps should be recognised. The statement
'If people cared they would attend.'
does not necessarily hold true, they may just not be particularly bothered about that issue:-).
Quite often public meetings about a potentially controversial subject will attract the more vocal (often understandably so) individuals against a proposal than others who have no particular feeling or are quite happy about it and feel no need to go along :-).
Let's look forward to some interesting debate on Sunday, but please don't go along ready to SHOUT :-). Just because someones opinion is different to yours does not make them wrong or uncaring - and that works both ways children :-))))
See y'all there,
Dxxxxxxx
now away to lie down in a darkened room with a box of tissues and a bottle of stinky cold remedy while husband takes care of the littlies!
(and who, just so no-one has a go at my 'independance'(?) on the subject, will be there with my Community Councillor hat on and as such will be supporting the Community Council decision on representation to the Council based on the results of the public meeting - my thoughts on here are purely my own personal ones, love 'em or hate them, thats your choice :-)))))))

cairnhill resident you were the one that brought up asda/smashed windows/vandalism and boyracers.You made allegations about a community that isn't on here and cannot defend itself.I go to asda at least twice a week and to be honest can do without making that journey,I really dont care if my house drops in value,though I very much doubt the ones across from asda are any much cheaper than elsewhere in Portlethen or the ones near Somerfield in Stonehaven.Not travelling on the A90 is a bonus,not paying fuel costs is a bonus,having a choice is a bonus.I am for this development because I think it will benefit the majority.

Seems to me that some residents are possibly more fearful of some sort of a imaginary detrimental housing stigma & lower property valuations being attached to some housing locations which are nearby a Tesco store than a store that would probably benefit the majority of LOCAL village residents, myself included. Bring it on -- takes about a second to say.

GO Diane;
Very very much agree with Diane`s comments.
Also some people may not have been able to attend past / future meetings and may still leave comments on the Aberdeenshire planning link for or against. Bring it on i say, the sooner the better. Cause there is only an eyesore of a barren overgrown field to look at meantime. What does that say about Newtonhill? Could have been worse - Stewarty Milne wi high rise block of flats. Directions to Newtonhill meantime - beside the overgrown field on the hillside by the flyover!!!! which some people seem to prefer.

Thats right, so much so that 12 people turned up to the last public meeting held and only 2 turned up to the meeting for the Pharmacy with the planners and the developer. Oh and my wife was one of the two members of the public that turned up so please try and refrain from calling me arrogant. I can only comment on FACTS!!

If people cared they would attend.

Diane that's exactly it though. Alot of people in the village dont care about Newtonhill or what happens here. All they see is a nice convenient place to get there weekly shopping from. Stuff what it will do to the look or overall apperance of the place.

There are also the villagers that will be directly affected by this propossed development to be considered. This is going to bring in massive amounts of traffic amongst lots of other things so this needs more than just a "great idea so build it, its the 21st century"

Well i think it's terrible that any of the villagers could actually want something like this to represent the village.

Not only is it going to be the 1st thing you see when entering the village it's also the only thing anyone will see when passing by on the A90. "Newtonhill? oh yeah beside the Tesco's on the Stonehaven road"

Yes i know it's classed as the smallest supermarket they do but it is by all means not going to be small. have a look at the plans, they are to scale and look at the height of the roof compared to the size of the doors. Add a dayglow red illuminated sign to the roof and you will see this building from Portlethen. Seriously go stand in the field and have a look.

Most Villages have some nice signs or flower displays to welcome visitors and residents. Newtonhill will have a Supermarket that will avert peoples attention from anything else. Nice!

I just wonder how many people are actually for this because its just handy for there shopping?

Ref Asda,
Popped in past this morning on my way to work and i can confirm that there has been some damage done to the South side door. The Lady that i spoke to did indeed confirm that they suspect that this was vandalism caused by the youths that hang around in the foyer on a nightly basis.

Thanks for reading.

Yes I did go across and there are no smashed windows!! who is giving you duff information. My point re unforgiveable is, whether you are for or against this development it pays to be factual, the scaremongering you are posting on here as objections will have the planning dept shaking its head.
The statement you made about Asdas smashed windows is so easily disputed.Yes I chose to move my choice I made it and am not blaming anyone else for it,I chose a house opposite a supermarket and guess what it dont bother me in the slightest.Carol and Kevk had made excellent posts without drama.No doubt an emotional issue and maybe I should keep my nose out but my old ma still lives in newtonhill so I still have a vested interest.

Just my two bob's worth, but on the noise issue, people get noise from boy racers all over the village, kids and youths scream and shout in the street/ park at all times of the day and night, the local football teams and their supporters cause loads of noise and traffic congestion most weekends, litter is dropped all over the village by some (some of it chipper litter which is *not* from the village). Some of these things, eg football and kids playing, is just real life happening all around us; litter, noise at night and in the small hours and boy racers are antisocial behaviour that the new store may or may not be a locus for, but surely it is the unwanted behaviour that should be tackled, rather than restricting sensible and realistic development that may or may not attract the unwanted activities?

Where I live, we get litter, noise, traffic, etc, if I wanted to be controversial I could say these problems have got worse since the new houses have gone up (!) - but of course, in reality this is not a causal relationship, it is just that these sort of environmental annoyances are on the increase to the point of being commonplace nowadays. Its easy to blame something else. Tesco won't generate *more* vandals, or boy racers, or kids hanging about. If they *do* arise, they will have just moved there from somewhere else, probably to someone else's great relief!