Balmedie
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 Sand dunes at Balmedie in 2006 | |
  Balmedie Location withinAberdeenshire | |
| Population | 2,510 (2020)[1] |
| OS grid reference | NJ965178 |
| Civil parish | |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ABERDEEN |
| Postcode district | AB23 |
| Dialling code | 01358 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
| 57°15′N2°03′W / 57.25°N 02.05°W /57.25; -02.05 | |
Balmedie (Scottish Gaelic:Baile Mheadhain) is a large village inAberdeenshire inScotland. It lies north of the city ofAberdeen, in thecivil parish ofBelhelvie. The long and wide beach is bordered by an extensivedune system that stretches 14 miles (23 km) from Aberdeen to just north of theYthan Estuary atNewburgh. The dynamic dunes havemarram grass as the principal vegetation. They support a large array of wildlife. Two watercourses make their way to the sea within the area creating ribbons of wetland vegetation along their course. The village is near theSands of ForvieSite of Special Scientific Interest, the fifth largestsand dune system in Britain; this is an integral part of theYthan Estuary, which separates the sands from Balmedie Beach.[2]
The village's facilities include aprimary school, a small library and a sports centre. Shops include a small supermarket, a pharmacy, afish and chip shop, Chinese takeaway and a convenience store/post office. Other services include a car mechanic, and theWhite Horse Inn (a hotel, bar and restaurant). In 2007,Barratt Developments established itsBarratt Homes North Scotland headquarters in Balmedie.Stagecoach East Scotland provides 'Bluebird' bus services linking the area withAberdeen,Ellon,Fraserburgh andPeterhead.
There are four small play parks in Balmedie; there are also two full-sized football pitches where amateur side Trophies International play their home matches. FootballersCammy Smith andScott Wright were both raised in the village.
The Balmedie Country Park provides amenities within the dunes for visitors, including parking, toilets, wooden walkways across the sands and streams, picnic areas with barbecues, and a swing park with a fishing theme. The park is often used by horse riders as a starting / finishing point for beach rides with room to park a horsebox or trailer.[3]
During theSecond World War, Balmedie Beach was designated as a bomb cemetery. Defused andunexploded bombs fromLuftwaffe raids in Aberdeen were brought here to be cleaned of explosives or detonated on the foreshore. Three pillboxes were built on the dunes at Balmedie to protect a small radar station consisting of three masts. Anti-tank blocks are also located in the dunes along with remains of the barbed wire defences just to the north.
Menie House is a 14th-century country property surrounded by over 200 acres (81 ha) of private land, collectively known as the Menie Estate. The house was designed by the Aberdeen architectJohn Smith for George Turner around 1835. It is listed as category B byHistoric Scotland.[4]
During the Second World War, a beach minefield was laid beside the Mill of Menie in case of a German invasion. The minefield was cleared by the 11th Coy Bomb Disposal under Major W.M. Hewitt of the Royal Engineers. During construction of the Menie golf course, the rusting harmless fragments of a landmine were found.
In 2006,Donald Trump purchased a large part of the estate to create theTrump International Golf Links and proposed to build an extensive development, including two 18-hole golf courses, a 450-room hotel, conference centre and spa, 36 golf villas, 950 holiday homes, accommodation for 400 staff and residential developments comprising 500 houses. Although this would substantially damage habitat at aSite of Special Scientific Interest, according to analysis byScottish Natural Heritage,[5][6] planning officials fromAberdeenshire Council recommended approval of the development.[7][8] This subject was covered by documentary film maker Anthony Baxter in his 2011 filmYou've Been Trumped.[9]
In December 2015, Trump's attempt to prevent a windfarm being built within sight of his golf course was dismissed by five justices at theSupreme Court. Commenting on the decision, formerScottish First MinisterAlex Salmond branded Trump "three times a loser", in reference to his losses in lower Scottish courts leading up to the Supreme Court case. A spokesman for theTrump Organization responded to Salmond's comment by saying: "Does anyone care what this man thinks? He’s a hasbeen and totally irrelevant."[10]
The director ofWWF Scotland stated, "This result is great news for Scotland and for all those interested intackling climate change and creating jobs".[11]
Vattenfall decided to proceed with 11 turbines in the 92 MW wind farm in July 2016.[12] The project, formally named theEuropean Offshore Wind Deployment Centre, was completed in late 2018.[13]
Settlements and places of interest inFormartine,Aberdeenshire | ||
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| Primary settlements |  | |
| Other settlements | ||
| Places of interest | ||
Areas and primary settlements inAberdeenshire(see also:Aberdeen City) | ||
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| inBanff and Buchan |  | |
| inBuchan | ||
| inFormartine | ||
| inGarioch | ||
| inKincardine and Mearns | ||
| inMarr | ||
Authority control databases: National |
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