CCC NEWS

NOW we are into 2003, I wish you all a happy and prosperous new year.

Apart from the wet and miserable weather in the last few weeks of 2002, I think the thing that most upset and angered us all in Culter and around was the notification of the closure of our BP Filling Station and shop. It was gratifying to see the Directors of BP change their minds 'in response to the concerns expressed by the local community'. As well as expressing our concerns about what the closure would mean to the community, the members of CCC gained the strong support of our local City Councillor (Pam MacDonald) our MSP (Nico! Stephen) and our MP (Anne Begg), for which we were grateful. Most importantly however, due to the sterling work of John Murdo who volunteered to set up, distribute and gather in petition sheets in local shops and public places, almost 4,500 of you signed up to show BP our feelings and concerns. Thank you! And WELL DONE, John! CCC is grateful for your efforts and for keeping the matter to the forefront with the Press & Journal, the Evening Express and the Deeside Piper.

Just one word of caution; we may not be out of the woods yet. In his reply to Nicol Stephen, John Mumford, Director of BP Oil UK Ltd., said, 'based on current information to hand, there is every chance that following the completion of remedial work the petrol station should be able to resume normal operation'. He added that it would need to be closed for this sometime during this year and were willing to set the timing to suit local residents. In his reply, Nicol Stephen asked for more information and suggested a meeting with local residents would be appreciated. I agree and will push for it. I shall keep you informed on progress.

Following our December meeting we had some wine and nibbles, and informal chat, with the members of the Gala Committee and the Courier 'paper boys and girls' to show our appreciation of all the effort they put in on the community's behalf. Thank you one and all and I hope you enjoyed the evening.

To finish on a high note, the Calor Awards for 2002 were announced on 19 November - just too late for the last Courier. These awards are mainly to acknowledge the work and progress in individual communities in Scotland . It was with great pleasure (and surprise) that we learned that CCC had won a Certificate of Commendation for our Community Website (Community Enhancement through the Internet). We had tried once before in other categories (Young People, Older People, Community Life etc. but were unsuccessful then.) However, thanks should all go to Callum Stuart, former pupil at Culter School , who was responsible for the entry. (To find out what it's all about, you can visit www.culter.net) Thank you, Callum, for all your work and effort on our behalf.

Lavina C Massie Chairperson

PLANNING

INCHRORY, The Bush: Following the change of design, planning permission for two houses to replace Inchrory has now been granted.

Hilton Farm Steadings: A planning

application had been made to convert steadings into three houses with single integral garages and very small gardens. Having viewed the site, CCC objected to the overdevelopment of the site, lack of consideration for the adjacent residents/owners and the very poor access road. Mainly our objections were because it contravened 'Development in the Countryside beyond Peterculter' in the Modified Finalised Local Plan.

34 Coronation Road : CCC objected to the proposed extension to this house because it was large (almost doubling the size of accommodation) and would cover over the driveway right to the edge of their boundary. Our concerns were not only the change of appearance of this one house, but also what would happen if other residents followed this design. We considered that that side of Coronation Road could end up more like a 'terrace' rather than a sweep of semi-detached houses. However the Planning Department advised approval and on a site visit, the Planning Committee appeared to agree.

Culter House & Grounds: CCC objected to this planning application to convert Culter House from a Nursing Home into 13 luxury flats, and three executive houses in the grounds. At a time when more and more elderly people need care, we would lose a Home where several Culter people are cared for now and could be in the future. In addition, our schools are a capacity and the roads are already at saturation point with traffic. Our main hope, however, is that Culter House is in the Green Belt, which does not allow residential development on it.

Lavina C Massie Planning Liaison Officer