Above picture - Press and Journal. This is the Mess left by travellers at Aikey Brae in the past.

Aberdeenshire Council has revealed it is to bring forward proposals to develop a permanent travellers site at Aikey Brae, near Old Deer.

The site would cost an estimated £351,000 to develop.

The site will serve as temporary accommodation to travellers, who will then have to move on after a period of a week or two. It is widely known that travellers leave vast amounts of mess behind and to do so in such an important and historical area, will be a massive inconvenience to the local community. Old Deer itself is steeped in history and people travel far and wide to see the Old Abbey on the outskirts of the village and to visit the 'stone circle' at Aikey Brae itself.

While we understand the needs of the travellers, this development will be detrimental to Old Deer and the surrounding areas and it is in our best interest to encourage the council to reconsider its proposal.