The new Draft Structure Plan for Aberdeenshire - which was unveiled earlier this summer - caused some commotion at a public meeting held in Ellon last week, as local property developers were told by council officials that between 2007 and 2016 only 400 new houses were planned for.

Assuming the U.S. property tycoon is given the go-ahead, his 650 houses would take up the whole quota and more.

The Draft Plan focuses mainly on three areas of population growth labelled as Strategic Growth Areas (SGAs) and Ellon is situated in the middle of one.

The SGAs are Aberdeen City, the Huntly to Laurencekirk corridor and the Aberdeen to Peterhead corridor and will be the main focus for development up to the year 2030.

Although these areas will carry out different roles, they are expected to account for around 75 to 80 per cent of the growth over the next 20 years or more, with Aberdeen accounting for over 50 per cent of the new housing proposed.

The draft also predicts an increase in population in Aberdeenshire of 25,000 up to the year 2031 with the majority of this increase happening within the period covered by the forthcoming plan.

The Aberdeen to Peterhead SGA will focus on diversifying and developing the economy, particularly related to the North Sea, as well as providing infrastructure in the first half of the plan period.

As a result of this, Aberdeenshire Council believes that there should be less housing in this area than the other two SGAs although the amount of housing could increase in the second half of the plan period if the economy grows and becomes more diverse.

Commenting after last weeks meeting SNP councillor Rob Merson said that the new structure plan failed to take any account of factors which could result from the determination of the Trump development, or planning applications expected to come forward following the Prince's Foundation planning exercise in Ellon earlier this year.

He said: "There is a huge potential for economic development along this corridor, and we must have a structure plan which is capable of facilitating and supporting that, in terms of land for both employment and housing – both of which are currently in very limited supply around Ellon.

"I am often asked why Ellon has failed to develop fully as a town like Inverurie, and the answer can only be that the administration has failed to develop the right plan.

"This is our opportunity to influence what Ellon will look like in 25 years time, and we must grasp the opportunity with both hands."
A member of Ellon Business Initiative who has a great deal of experience in the field of planning said he felt the idea of growth along the A90 corridor was good however he felt the current proposals were not good enough.

He said: "As a point of principle we agree with the main focus of the plan, which is to try and generate development. I think the message is at least the 400 houses is something.

"Having said that there are serious questions about the consultation processes the council have gone through, and how they have gone about constructing the draft structure plan.

"If you look at Ellon, there are plans for development with the Princes Foundation and Trump which the council clearly haven't taken into consideration.

"It is absolutely crucial that if the council zone any land for development it is put in an area where there is a market and is sustainable. If they don't, all it means is that people commute to work and this then leads to congestion and the distance people travel to work is increasing year after year which is not sustainable.
"This is, however, only a draft and is open for consultation. The council might therefore change it.

"From an Ellon perspective it is good something is being allocated within the corridor but overall it's not enough."

A spokesperson for Aberdeenshire Council said that the plans were only in their draft stages and that nothing was finalised. They also added that they were taking on board comments they are receiving at the public meetings and that the consultation period was ongoing until September 12.