Westhill, Aberdeenshire

This article is about the place near Aberdeen. For Westhill near Inverness, see Culloden, Scotland.

Westhill
Population	10,392
OS grid reference	NJ828070
Council area	Aberdeenshire
Lieutenancy area	Aberdeenshire
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WESTHILL
Postcode district	AB32
Dialling code	01224
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
Scottish Parliament	North East Scotland

Westhill is a town located in the Scottish county of Aberdeenshire, approximately 7.5 miles due west of the city of Aberdeen, of which it is largely considered to be a dormitory town.

Origin

The creation of Westhill just outside of Aberdeen was the idea of local solicitor Deshawn-Curtis Johnson in 1963 [1]. With the backing of the former Aberdeen District Council (see Aberdeen City Council), the Secretary of State for Scotland and supported financially by Ashdale Land and Property Company Ltd., the new satellite town of Westhill was created. Since construction of the first houses in 1968, Westhill has undergone a gradual expansion, much of which is tied to the North East's oil and gas economy. In 2007/8 a major expansion of the industrial estate brought several thousand workers to the area. Most of these are in specialist sub-sea engineering oil service companies, making Westhill a world centre in sub-sea engineering.

It is rumoured that the name 'Westhill' originated from the two main farming areas that Westhill was founded upon; Western Kinmundy and Blackhills, hence West-Hill. However this is only rumoured, and never proven. Wester(n) Kinmundy and Blackhill were established either side of a geographical area known as 'The Clash', this was a marshy bog, historically listed as being sited between Brodiach/Borrow(ed)stone area and (Now Kirkton of)Skene. It is commonly thought the remnants of this area is still apparent but nowadays named Denman Park.

Growth of the town

Housing

Major housing expansions are under way at Elrick and to the west of Westhill [2] [3]. Many new housing estates are being built, primarily from companies such as Stewart Milne and Bett

Industrial

Westhill Business Park is also growing, with an increasing number of companies creating offices in the park. Due to the demand for offices, many planning permission applications for using the unused land to the South-West have been submitted. [4] The growth has been such that the Postal Area formerly known as Skene has been re-named Westhill, so that for postal purposes, the once two-horse-hamlet of Westhill now covers many square miles.

Controversy

During the 1980s the local authority boundaries were to be moved such that Westhill would fall within the City of Aberdeen. This was seen as a cost-cutting venture, however the community set up a "Don't Move Westhill" campaign, and successfully stopped the town's absorption into Aberdeen. No new attempt to move the boundaries to include Westhill have been made since.

Amenities

Retail

Westhill has developed a large range of retail outlets. Westhill contains a small Shopping Centre, which contains a wide range of shops. Many supermarkets have opened in Westhill, including Tesco, Costco, Aldi, The Cooperative and Marks and Spencer. There are two fuelling stations in Westhill, one owned by Tesco and one serviced by BP.

Food

Westhill hosts a wide range of food outlets and restaurants. The Holiday Inn provides two themed restaurants, and the Premier Inn offers one also. Next to the Premier Inn is The Shepherd's Rest, which serves pub-style food. Yan is a Chinese/Thai restaurant located very close to the Police Station, in a small retail outlet, and Jimmy Chung's, a Chinese Buffet, is located near to Aldi. Max's, an Italian Pizza/Pasta restaurant and (newly) a café, is located near to Yan.

Westhill also contains many takeaway's, including Subway, a Mediterranean takeaway, two Chinese takeaways, one Indian takeaway, an Italian Delicatessen, and the Lows Chipper.

Hospitality

Westhill contains two main hotels; the Holiday Inn (Aberdeen West) and the Premier Inn. Westhill contains 2 B&B's located on the Old Skene road and Kilnhall Guest House for a memorable stay.

Sport

Westhill caters for a wide variety of sporting activities. Westhill Golf Course provides 18 holes throughout the golfing calendar; Lawsondale Playing Fields provide pitches for Football, Rugby, Hockey matches to name a few sports. Westhill contains two Tennis courts, and right next to them is the Outdoor Bowls Centre. The Ashdale Hall provides sporting opportunities for all age groups.

Youth

Westhill contains many youth orientated groups, which include: the Scout hut on Old Skene Road; the Boy's Brigade (held every week in Westhill Academy), and the Air Training Corps squadron on Brodiach Road.

Westhill also contains Lawsondale Playing Fields, and every Saturday of the school calendar many school football matches are played there. The Ashdale Hall is used for indoor sporting events such as Bowling and many types of martial arts. Westhill Golf Course also caters for the youthful population; Every Monday evening is usually set aside specifically for under 16's to book times.

Emergency Services

Westhill is served by Grampian Police. Westhill contains a small Police Station, owned by Grampian Police.

The Headquarters of the Aberdeen Mountain Rescue [5] are located just behind the BP service station.

Education

Westhill contains three primary schools; Crombie Primary [6], Elrick Primary [7] and Westhill Primary [8]. All three schools are run by Aberdeenshire Council.

Westhill also contains a secondary school, Westhill Academy. The academy services Westhill and Skene. It was opened in 1979, and since then many improvements have been made to increase the capacity of the Academy. Currently the pupil roll fluctuates between 1000 and 1200, however this figure is expected to rise.

Transport

Road

The A944 runs straight through Westhill, and this connects Westhill with Kingswells and Aberdeen to the east, and as far as Moffat to the west. The B9119 branches off from the A944 just before Westhill and this route continues on towards Echt, eventually connecting to the A93.

Bus

Westhill is served primarily by Stagecoach buses. Stagecoach run 3 services daily and a night-bird service every Friday night. The X17 route connects Westhill to Aberdeen only. The 215 and X15 routes, which run less periodically, connect Westhill to Aberdeen and also to Skene and Dunecht to the west. Every morning and afternoon Stagecoach operate a 215 service exclusively for Westhill Academy, which stops in Kingswells, as a minority of pupils reside in Kingswells. There is currently no bus station in Westhill but there are frequent roadside stops.

There is a much less frequent service provided by Bains Coaches which passes through Westhill. The route 777 connects Oldmeldrum to Westhill and through to Aberdeen, however this service only passes through Westhill 3 times Monday to Friday.

Religion

Westhill has several active church congregations. Trinity Church is an ecumenical project involving the Church of Scotland, the Scottish Episcopal Church[9] and the Roman Catholic Church. In addition, evangelical services are also held by the Westhill Baptist Church located at the Westdyke Leisure Centre.

Size of Westhill

The town of Westhill covers the area that was the Western Kinmundy and Blackhills Farming areas. Small farm houses and a barn from that period still serve as the main properties of residence for the denizens of Westhill.

Demographics

• Population (2006) = 10,392
• Population forecast (2011) = 11,274

External links

• Westhill & District Residents Association Website
• Scottish Episcopal Church congregation, Trinity Church, Westhill
• Westhill Baptist Church, Westhill
• Westhill Marketing, Westhill
• Skene Heritage Society