Aberdeenshire Council

With just one week to go, hungry diners are preparing to enjoy a mouth-watering range of delicious meals during the first ever Aberdeenshire Restaurant Week. Running from November 4-10, the week-long event has attracted an incredible 66 restaurants, cafes and hotels to sign up so far across the region. During Restaurant Week, customers will be able to enjoy a host of food and drinks offers which will help increase footfall by showcasing the amazing offering across Aberdeenshire to locals and visitors alike, highlighting value, quality, provenance and choice at a traditionally quieter time of year. Cllr Gillian Owen, Leader of Aberdeenshire Council, said: “With such a wide selection of venues participating in Restaurant Week, it’s also a great opportunity to get out and about this November and explore what Aberdeenshire has to offer. But it’s not just about hospitality – our local high streets and attractions can all benefit from extra footfall and spend. Our small businesses are the beating heart of our communities, so how about planning a day out that includes your chosen venue but also includes a visit to a town centre, farm shop, local museum or country park." The Restaurant Week website has been visited by thousands of potential customers eager to see the special offers and tasty dishes which participating venues have cooked up for the week-long promotion. One of the participating businesses is the Udny Arms Hotel at Newburgh – with owner Lorna Younge saying: “We are really excited to be involved with Aberdeenshire Restaurant Week as it provides a great way for us all to showcase the incredible produce and cuisine the region has to offer. As we are about to celebrate our first year in business, what better way to celebrate than with a range of special offers for our loyal existing customers and new diners alike.” Jack Duncan of the Fife Arms at Turriff added: “It’s great to be part of Aberdeenshire Restaurant Week and everyone here is really looking forward to welcoming diners to enjoy some delicious food in great company and surroundings. The wealth of eateries taking part across the area and the wide variety of cuisine on offer is tremendous, giving people a fantastic opportunity to try new things at special discounted prices.” Cllr Alan Turner, chair of the council’s Infrastructure Services Committee, said: “Next week’s promotions will help to highlight all the fantastic places to eat across the region and there really is something for all tastes and budgets thanks to our wonderful participating businesses. With the hospitality sector facing ongoing challenges around supply chain costs and the wider cost-of-living, we really hope Aberdeenshire Restaurant Week will give these businesses a much-needed boost and bring a wealth of new customers through their doors.” Visit https://lnkd.in/e36Nazzs for details.

A new interactive prospectus has been launched showcasing undeveloped housing sites across Aberdeenshire. The prospectus has been produced to provide developers with a collective list of available sites which have been allocated within the Aberdeenshire Local Development Plan. Its main focus is around sites allocated for housing – though some mixed allocations have been included – and gives an overview of more than 60 individual sites, including settlement information, photographs and delivery considerations necessary to bring a site forward. Developed by the council’s Delivery Team, the prospectus uses Storymaps to provide site commentary and informative data covering four different categories - from small scale housing sites allocated for up to 10 houses, to large scale developments allocated for more than 100 houses. Aberdeenshire is currently home to around 262,000 people and between 2001 and 2021 its population increased by 15.8%. Figures from the National Records of Scotland show that the north east’s population is expected to grow by a further 24% by 2039 – emphasizing the ever increasing need for new housing. Cllr Alan Turner, chair of our Infrastructure Services Committee, said: “Aberdeenshire has a wealth of sites currently lying undeveloped but which, with investment, could be transformed to really bolster housing capacity across the region. The principal focus of the Prospectus is to aid the delivery of the allocated sites within our Local Development Plan and our Delivery Team is on hand to discuss the sites with interested developers.” Vice-chair Cllr Isobel Davidson added: “We would very much welcome discussions on bringing forward any of these allocated housing sites for development. The prospectus is an excellent tool for promoting the wealth of housing development opportunities in the region and eliminates any guesswork for potential investors.” For more information visit https://lnkd.in/eYCqp5Z8

The latest Scams Bulletin from Aberdeenshire Council’s Trading Standards department is now available https://lnkd.in/eBPERuMa It follows up on reports of a number of residents in the Mintlaw area who had had encounters with a group of workmen calling themselves National Highways. These workmen claimed to work for Aberdeenshire Council, carrying out road repairs in that area. This was then - and is still untrue - as National Highways do not carry out road repairs for Aberdeenshire Council.

We're holding a Jobs Fair at The Knowes Hotel in Macduff on Wednesday, October 9 alongside other member organisations of Aberdeenshire's employability partnership—Employment CONNECT. Meet local employers from various sectors to discuss upcoming vacancies and connect with employability services that can provide careers advice and guidance for jobseekers. Whether you’re a recent graduate or a seasoned professional contemplating a career change, our Jobs Fair is the ideal place to explore a multitude of opportunities within North East Scotland. Learn more about this free event at https://lnkd.in/eXrN9DNS #Aberdeenshire #JobsFair #Macduff #EmployabilityinScotland #NoOneLeftBehind #EmploymentCONNECT

The latest Scams Bulletin from Aberdeenshire Council’s Trading Standards department is now available at https://lnkd.in/eBPERuMa

Turriff Academy has launched its F1 in Schools competition after receiving funding from Moray East offshore wind farm, operated by Ocean Winds, one of Scotland’s leading offshore wind companies. The F1 in Schools competition sees pupils design, make, and race miniature F1 cars. Teams are then assessed across areas including car speed, engineering quality, and the team’s presentation skills. Turriff Academy is one of only two design, test, make and race centres in the UK for the international challenge – the other being the City of London University. Leading the project is Faculty Principal Teacher Scott Hunter who said: “This is a fantastic competition which allows our pupils to showcase their skills not only in design and engineering but in everything it takes to create an F1 team, such as gaining sponsorship, marketing and presentation skills. “It was brilliant to see their enthusiasm for the different elements of the competition and we’re all looking forward to the Scottish Championships.” Turriff Academy created 12 teams and each raced along a 20-metre bespoke track. The top teams from the competition will now progress to the Scottish Championships later in November. Success there will result in competing in the UK and, potentially, world finals. Gary McGougan, Senior O&M Manager with Ocean Winds, said: “It’s great to see one of our local high schools giving so much commitment to this STEM programme and we’re delighted to have supported the funding to help these students engage in STEM subjects in a demanding but fun way. "In Ocean Winds we are really keen to help students engage with STEM and the varied careers in our offshore wind sector, including at the Fraserburgh operations base.” OW Ocean Winds UK

The latest Scams Bulletin from Aberdeenshire Council’s Trading Standards department is now available at https://lnkd.in/eBPERuMa

We're delighted to confirm that our popular Aberdeenshire Loves Local Gift Card which supports local businesses and communities is now available for collection at Grampian Credit Union. It marks the first location in Aberdeen where the gift card can be collected, making it even easier for residents and businesses to support their shops, restaurants and other service providers across the region. The Aberdeenshire Loves Local Gift Card can be used at a variety of participating businesses, providing a convenient and versatile way for people to shop local and keep the spend local. With the addition of Grampian Credit Union as a collection point, the initiative becomes more accessible to Aberdeen residents, ensuring that more people can participate in this valuable initiative. And with nearly 400 locations across Aberdeenshire at which to redeem the gift card, there really is something for everyone. Grampian Credit Union is proud to become the newest stockist of the gift card. As a trusted financial institution and dedicated member of the community, its involvement highlights its commitment to promoting local economic growth and encouraging sustainable shopping habits. Chinyere Adeniyi-Alade, Chief Executive at Grampian Credit Union, said: “We are excited to become a stockist for the Aberdeenshire Loves Local Gift Card. Grampian Credit Union has been promoting affordable lending and savings for over 30 years, offering our communities the opportunities that may not be available with the high street financial institutions. This gift card promotes the local economy and we are always happy to do our bit for our members and local communities.” Suzanne Rhind, Strategic Town Centres Executive at Aberdeenshire Council, added: “While we have many stockists of the Aberdeenshire Loves Local Gift Card across the region, we have been keen to offer it within Aberdeen for those who are coming to visit our towns and villages and who want to keep their spend local. We really appreciate Grampian Credit Union joining us in that partnership approach and we look forward to people picking up their gift cards and seeing what delights Aberdeenshire has to offer.” Residents of Aberdeen and the surrounding areas can now collect their Aberdeenshire Loves Local Gift Card from Grampian Credit Union at 250 Union Street, Aberdeen, between 10am and 4pm Monday to Friday. For more information on how to purchase or load the card with money, together with a list of participating businesses, visit https://lnkd.in/eMyvcyY9 Pictured are Adeshola Oshunniyi and Chinyere Adeniyi-Alade of Grampian Credit Union

We currently have a detached industrial facility for sale at Laurencekirk Business Park. Boasting excellent transport links, offers in the region of £275,000 are being sought. Site 3 is over 3,400 square metres with an internal floor area of 860 square metres. The property is detached with a steel portal frame and the main walls and roof have insulated profiled cladding. Internally the property has been configured to provide a single storey workshop and two floors of office space. The workshop has a concrete floor, two roller shutter vehicular doors, fluorescent lighting and a mixture of electric and gas heating. The property benefits from good external ground for car parking and vehicle movement. The external ground has part hardstanding and part grass surfacing. View details at https://lnkd.in/eGj5WiUN

The latest Scams Bulletin from Aberdeenshire Council’s Trading Standards department is now available at https://lnkd.in/eBPERuMa This issue covers matters such as bogus callers and rogue traders and gift voucher scams.