Month: June 2023
Aberdeenshire Council seeking more feedback on household recycling centre trial
Aberdeenshire Council is seeking more feedback on its trial of changes to household
recycling centre bookings, which has been ongoing since November 2022.
Aberdeenshire residents can have their say online via the council’s engage platform.
As well as the online survey, paper copies can be requested from household recycling
centres to ensure that as many people as possible are engaged, and all feedback is gratefully
received.
Any complaints or compliments throughout the trial are included among the criteria for its
assessment—as is car counting data, the tonnages of materials deposited, the cost of the
materials being disposed of, and feedback from additional customer surveying such as this.
There will be a review of all the data with a report due before committee in the autumn.
The survey will run until Sunday 6th August 2023 and any queries should be sent to
recyclingcentrepermits@aberdeenshire.gov.uk.
The booking system was first introduced as a traffic management tool and as a protective
measure for customers and staff when centres opened after the covid lockdown in March 2020.
Since then, the booking system has been used to implement the permit system that
was approved by committee before covid—by applying limits to the number of times trade
type vehicles can access household recycling centres in a year.
You can learn more about the trial on the Aberdeenshire Council website.
The booking system trial can be summarised as…
- No booking is required for any vehicle at any time at Alford, Banchory, Fraserburgh,
Huntly, Macduff, Peterhead, and Portsoy household recycling centres; - No bookings on Wednesdays or Saturdays for cars, pickups, camper vans, and
mobility adapted vehicles at Ellon, Laurencekirk, Portlethen (not open on Wednesday),
Stonehaven, and Turriff. Please note, booking is still required for vans and trailers; - Booking is always required for Insch, Inverurie, and Westhill.
Regardless of the trial, residents should check the website before visiting a recycling centre in
case of closure, information or alterations to what is accepted, and opening times:
bit.ly/AbshireHRCs
Pedestrian access is removed at times when the booking system is not active at a site as they
can no longer be safely separated from vehicles.
Stagecoach Invites Customers to Feedback on Proposed Timetable Changes in Stonehaven, Portlethen and Newtonhill
- Stagecoach local consultation event will be held at Stonehaven Town Hall from 7-9pm on
Wednesday June 28th - Listening to customer feedback, plans to introduce a new Service X6, connecting Stonehaven
with Portlethen Shopping Centre, Cove and Aberdeen up to every hour. - Proposed revisions to timetables of services 7 and 7B to improve punctuality.
- Proposed improvements for services to Newtonhill Park & Choose, including later journeys.
Stagecoach Bluebird invites customers to give feedback on proposed changes to timetables for
services between Aberdeen and Stonehaven, including Portlethen, Newtonhill and Chapelton.
For a number of years, public feedback received during consultation has shaped the local bus
network, offering better connections for the local communities to the places that matter most to
them.
The proposals come following an extensive review of the network and travel patterns. Bus services
are vital for connecting communities to jobs, education and leisure opportunities. The proposed
changes aim to reflect the level of customer demand in different areas and ensure that the network
can operate sustainably.
Many of the proposals are a direct result of feedback received from customers and the wider
community. This includes the planned introduction of new service X6. This hourly service would
restore the connection between Stonehaven and Portlethen Shopping Centre, whilst improving
access to employment areas such as Gateway Business Park and Altens Industrial Estate. Service X6
would also serve the busy residential area of Cove, providing new travel opportunities to the South
of the city.
Stagecoach plans to introduce the new timetables in August 2023, once feedback from customers
has been gathered and final adjustments have been made.
Daniel Laird, Commercial Director for Stagecoach Bluebird said: “We invite customers to give their
feedback about our planned revisions to the Stonehaven corridor bus network. Everything we have
planned is to best use our fleet of buses to meet the travel habits in the area as well as improving the
punctuality of the services. We continue to invest in our people and in our fleet so that we can
deliver improved services to our customers.”
Feedback can be submitted via email to bluebird.consultations@stagecoach.com (before Thursday
6th July) or in person at the consultation events scheduled to be held at Stonehaven Town Hall on
June 28th from 7pm – 9pm and Union Square Bus Station on June 28th from 7am – 9am and 4pm –
6pm.
Full details of the proposed changes, including draft timetables can be found here:
https://www.stagecoachbus.com/service-updates/serviceupdatesarticle?SituationId=ID20/06/2023-11:14:18:918
Full details of Stonehaven corridor changes are as follows:
Service X6
This new service will operate with an hourly frequency, connecting Stonehaven with Newtonhill Park
& Choose, Portlethen Shopping Centre, Gateway Business Park, Cove, Wellington Road and Aberdeen
city centre. Additionally, journeys at peak times will also serve Altens Industrial Estate. The timetable
for this service has been designed to cater for shift workers at various employment centres, including
the McIntosh Donald meat processing site.
Service X7
The hourly service between Aberdeen, Stonehaven and Perth will continue as presently. Shorter
journeys currently operated between Aberdeen and Stonehaven will be replaced by service X6 (see
above).
Service 7/7A/7B
Services 7 and 7B will see a revised timetable which will improve punctuality and offer a consistent
experience to customers, following extensive analysis of traffic patterns on the route. The services
will continue to offer convenient connections toPortlethen, Newtonhill, Chapelton and Stonehaven.
Customers will benefit from additional eveningjourneys to Newtonhill Park and Choose, providing
better connections to Aberdeen city centre.
Service 7A journeys which currently serve Altens Industrial Estate will be replaced by equivalent
journeys on services X6 and 7B.
How to give feedback
In Person: Wednesday 28th June, Stonehaven Town Hall 19:00 – 21:00
Wednesday 28th June, Union Square Bus Station 07:00 – 09:00 and 16:00 – 18:00
Via Email: bluebird.consultations@stagecoach.com (before Thursday 6th July).
K&M Communities 