Aberdeenshire Council refuses permission to repair Christmas light sockets as road isn't busy enough

Hopes to repair and add new Christmas lights to a bustling Newtonhill street have been dashed as Aberdeenshire Council says the road isn’t busy enough.

Newtonhill Village Association has been denied permission to replace two faulty lamp post sockets on Skateraw Road and Newtonhill Road.

The group asked for four extra festive lights too but that request was also turned down.

They said the lights were needed to fill the existing festive display that leads down to the old village.

Members of the Kincardine and Mearns area committee discussed the issue.

Roads chief Jonathan Sharp explained that the group’s ask was rejected as the stretch of road didn’t meet the council’s festive lighting policy around footfall.

Christmas lights row as Aberdeenshire Council refuses permission to repair sockets and purchase new decorations. Google Maps

He said: “The road is a main access point into the town. The assessment for the provision of lights relates to areas that are likely to attract high footfall levels during the afternoon and evening.

“Therefore, this location does not meet the criteria of being a main footfall area.”

Councillor Mel Sullivan, who brought the matter to committee, asked if the council had carried out any surveys to record footfall levels in the village.

However, she was told this had not been done.

The North Kincardine member asked what footfall actually included and was told it was purely pedestrians there to visit main shopping areas at Christmas time.

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

Councillor Sullivan told the chamber she had an issue with the process that determines what is or isn’t an area of high footfall.

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

“We have a council officer saying it’s not an area of main footfall because it’s a thoroughfare, it doesn’t have the right number of shops, the park and church don’t count.

“The majority of the population has to pass through it to get to their homes and to get out everyday, there are five bus stops and the school buses go down it.

“All of that actually doesn’t count.”

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

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

Aberdeenshire Council’s current festive lighting policy was agreed back in 2018 and is up for review next year.

Councillor Sullivan asked that communities must get a say and decide which streets are main areas of footfall.

She also asked that the lighting review be carried out as soon as possible to ensure any changes can be put in place ahead of next Christmas.

Meanwhile, councillor George Carr said he had “great sympathy” for the request, but said the village wasn’t alone.

He noted that residents in Luthermuir and Gourdon faced a similar issue.

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

The Mearns member wanted the request for extra lights and repairs to be refused.

But, he was happy for the matter to be referred to the infrastructure committee for further debate next year as the lighting policy is reviewed.

However following a vote, councillor Sullivan’s suggestions were backed by six to four.