Stonehaven and District Community Council (SDCC) held their regular business meeting, on Tuesday 11th November 2025. The agenda for the meeting can be found here.
After the usual formalities the meeting opened with a discussion of ongoing matters from previous meetings. There was no progress on Education and Children’s Services letting arrangements, but a meeting has been scheduled for 25 November. Two quotes have been received in relation to the Beach toilet provision, with a third yet to come. 204 responses have been received to the online public toilet consultation.
Kincardine Community Hospital (KCH)
Several community council members attended the open session about hospital usage on 6th November. The consensus was that the presentation was inadequate, and the venue inappropriate. After some debate, including a suggestion that a collaborative meeting with Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership (AHSCP) would be helpful, it was agreed to submit a Participation Request. This would ensure representation from SDCC in decision making, in relation to KCH, and would ensure the community council are kept informed. There was a degree of cynicism expressed as to how much influence the community council would have, but it was seen as worth trying.
Following the North East Convention of Community Councils meeting last month, a statement was agreed regarding how overwhelmed community councils feel with the volume of energy projects coming forward. The local statement will go back to the central group along with contributions from other members. There was discussion about how best to respond to energy infrastructure projects, and the chair, Rachel Frame suggested a consultation on general principles, rather than specific applications. It was eventually agreed to have a separate meeting to formulate a survey, ensuring it asked appropriate questions.
Town Centre Health Check
At the last meeting there was concern about inaccurate information in the last Town Centre Health Check. As this was one of the documents used in deciding the Tesco planning application, these inaccuracies were queried. However, more weight was given to the independent retail expert report. Chair Rachel Frame said some information in that report was gained from calls to 80 Stonehaven landlines, and members expressed concern that this was unlikely to represent a cross section of the local population.
Grit Bins and Snow Wardens
Following the last meeting more information has been received on the cost of filling grit bins, and it was decided that it isn’t viable for the community council to adopt grit bins. However, they are still seeking more information on the snow warden scheme, in order to promote it to the community.
Police Report
The police report was discussed, and it was noted that a specific assault was not included. There was also a significant increase in reported incidents in September/October. The chair has started plotting incidents over the year to establish any possible pattern. Police Scotland will be invited to attend a meeting and explain more about how the figures are reported. They will also ask if Stonehaven and Newtonhill figures can be reported separately.
Planning Changes at Ury Estate
A short presentation was shown, summarising the information on the proposed changes to the number and type of houses at North Lodge, on Ury Estate. The original proposal was for 47 executive houses, ranging from 3500 – 7500 square feet. The revised proposal is for 136 homes, ranging from 930 – 2900 square feet, in a variety of types. The proposal was generally welcomed, as providing more affordable options, and also including more accessible housing. More details will be available next year when the full planning application is submitted.
Sub-committee Reports
There were brief reports from sub-committees, starting with Energy Projects. There was a reminder that the pre determination hearing for the Hurlie substation will be held at Viewmount on Wednesday 26th November. The Community Resilience group reported that the battery packs have been used by various community groups. The Defibrillator group are investigating options for installing a device in the Braehead area. A representative from Transport Action Kincardineshire visited the Aberdeen Rapid Transit exhibition, but it wasn’t relevant to Stonehaven.
Winding Up
In other discussions it was announced that Audrey Malcolm was invited to switch on the Christmas tree lights on 29th November. Arrangements for the Nippy Dip are well underway, with registration open from 1st December. The treasurer reported that only preplanned expenditure had been made this month.
A new member of the Community Council is to be co-opted, by notifying the local authority. Ben Plouviez will join as a member from December.
Finally there was discussion around a possible change in venue for community council meetings, the lights at the leisure centre car park, and the possibility of a play park at Burns Terrace.
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 9th December.