Aberdeenshire Council is refusing permission to repair Christmas light fittings because the road is not busy enough

Hopes to repair a busy street in Newtonhill and add new Christmas lights have been dashed as Aberdeenshire Council says the road is not busy enough.

Newtonhill Village Association has been denied permission to replace two defective lampposts on Skateraw Road and Newtonhill Road.

The group also requested four additional festive lights, but that request was also denied.

They said the lights were needed to complement the existing festive display leading into the old village.

Area committee members Kincardine and Mearns discussed the issue.

Roads manager Jonathan Sharp explained that the group’s request was rejected because the stretch of road did not comply with the council’s festive lighting policy around pedestrians.

Google Maps

He said: “The road is an important access point to the city. The assessment for the lighting provision relates to areas that receive many visitors in the afternoon and evening.

“Therefore, this location does not meet the criteria to be a main visitor area.”

Councilor Mel Sullivan, who referred the matter to the committee, asked whether the council had carried out surveys to record visitor numbers in the village.

However, she was told that this had not happened.

Member for North Kincardine asked what the number of visitors actually meant and was told that it was exclusively pedestrians visiting the main shopping areas at Christmas.

Mr Sharp added: “For Newtonhill there is no real shopping area, that is part of the issue here.”

Councilwoman Sullivan told the chamber she had a problem with the process of determining what is or is not a high-traffic area.

She stated: “At the moment we have no details from the council, it is a purely subjective opinion.

‘We have a council official who says it is not an area that attracts many visitors because it is a main road, does not have the right number of shops and does not count the park and church.

“The majority of the population has to go through it to get to their homes and to get out every day. There are five bus stops and the school buses go there.

“None of that actually counts.”

Letters she received from Newtonhill Village Association and Newtonhill, Muchalls and Cammachmore Community Council said the two groups believed this was appropriate.

She also revealed that it had taken almost a year of “long and torturous” discussions with council officials to get the case before the committee.

Aberdeenshire Council’s current festive lighting policy was agreed in 2018 and will be reviewed next year.

Councilor Sullivan asked that communities should have a say and decide which streets are prime pedestrian areas.

She also asked that the lighting review be carried out as soon as possible to ensure any changes can be implemented before next Christmas.

Meanwhile, Councilor George Carr said he had “great sympathy” for the request, but said the village was not alone.

He noted that residents of Luthermuir and Gourdon were facing a similar problem.

“If you look more broadly, this would be an issue that would resonate across Aberdeenshire,” he explained.

The Mearns member wanted the request for additional lighting and repairs denied.

But he was pleased the matter was referred to the infrastructure committee for further debate next year while the lighting policy is reviewed.

However, after a vote, Councilman Sullivan’s suggestions were supported by a vote of six to four.