Huge ‘food village’ plan to showcase north-east larder

by - 16/02/2010

"A huge regional food market which would become the first of its kind in Scotland could be built just north of Aberdeen."

The development would allow farmers, fishermen, distillers and food producers to go head-to-head with the UK’s supermarkets.

Plans to build 600 homes, a park and ride facility and a new school at Blackdog, between the city and Balmedie, have been drawn up by local farmer and developer Colin Tawse.

The Press and Journal can reveal that the plans, which will be submitted to Aberdeenshire Council later this year, will also include a 50,000sqft “food village” to showcase the north-east’s finest larder.

It is hoped that the facility will encourage people to take advantage of the quality food on their doorstep and give the individuals and firms producing the food a bigger market and a better price for their goods.

The homes scheme will turn Blackdog into a major Aberdeen suburb and see the village’s population soar to 1,700 – around the same as Newburgh.

The village, which is currently made up of just 90 homes, is predicted to become a property hotspot due to its close proximity to the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route’s northern entrance.

Last night Mr Tawse said major retailers were lining up to anchor the food venture, which would be open seven days a week.

The 51-year-old said around 20,000sqft of the food village would be occupied by an up-market retailer, such as Marks & Spencer Food, Waitrose or Sainsbury’s.

That would generate the footfall to bring thousands of customers to the local food producers occupying the majority of the centre.

“The Regional Food Market will provide a direct route to market for local producers and artisan processors while giving people in the community greater variety and choice of local food,” he said.

“It will be a regional showcase for Aberdeen, its agricultural industry, food production and innovation.

“It will give local producers the strength in numbers to take on the supermarkets. It will also cut down food miles and give north-east companies the chance to nurture and build brands.”

The land for the project, on the boundary of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, is currently used for grazing.

The whole development, which will also create a new High Street and business park in Blackdog, will be built just north of the existing village, towards Balmedie, on land owned by Mr Tawse.

It will be directly adjacent to the A90 Aberdeen-Peterhead road and the proposed northern terminus of the AWPR.

Mr Tawse, of Ellon, said the 600 homes will be powered by a wood burning bio-mass plant, which will be included in the plans.

fantastic
He said the development will also bring new facilities to the Blackdog area, which he describes as the north-east’s “forgotten village”.

Jim McLaren, president of farmers union NFU Scotland, said a food village would be fantastic for local producers.

He said: “This facility would be very welcome and it chimes with a lot of initiatives which are on the go at the moment.

“This would be a first-class initiative, a regional hub like this would be fantastic for food producers.”

He added: “I don’t think this is here to replace supermarkets, because they are an important part of the supply chain.

“It will give consumers more choice and it will also give an outlet for smaller producers.”

A spokesman for Richard Lochhead, Scotland’s fisheries minister, said the project sounded “exciting” for the food and drinks industry in the north.

He said: “The Scottish Government’s food and drink policy is designed to help farmers markets, farm shops and local food initiatives by boosting the profile of Scottish produce at home and abroad and increase sales for the sector by a third to £10billion by 2017. We would welcome a development such as this.”

Doubts
But Michael Slaughter, chairman of Belhelvie Community Council, said he has “serious doubts” about the proposal.

He said: “Far too many houses have been suggested for one village and we believe that money would be better spent gradually developing the wider area. I don’t see sufficient community facilities being built for this many homes and the high number of landfill sites around Blackdog would make building difficult.

“However, we would support the introduction of the market, as shopping facilities in the Blackdog area are very limited.”

The plans will be unveiled to the public next Tuesday, February 23, at an exhibition in the White Horse Inn in Balmedie between 10am and 8pm.

Members of the project design team will be available to answer questions and provide information.

The public consultation is being handled by property consultancy, Knight Frank, on behalf of Mr Tawse as part of the pre-application process now required for major developments.

Allan Rae, partner at Knight Frank, said: “This public consultation is an opportunity for the community in Blackdog to view the plans and give their opinion on the proposed development.”

More Details: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1606297?UserKey=