Westhill, Aberdeenshire
| Westhill | |
|---|---|
 Westhill
|
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| Westhill shown within Aberdeenshire | |
| Population | 10,392 |
| OS grid reference | NJ828070 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WESTHILL |
| Postcode district | AB32 |
| Dialling code | 01224 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Westhill is a town located in the Scottish county of Aberdeenshire, approximately 7 miles west of the city of Aberdeen.
The town of Westhill covers the area that was the Western Kinmundy and Blackhills Farming areas.
The population in 2006 was 10,392, the forecast for 2011 is 11,274.
The creation of Westhill just outside Aberdeen was the idea of local solicitor Ronald Fraser Dean in 1963. 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 settlement of Westhill was created upon the old farming land. 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.
The name Westhill was created in 1859 when John Anderson from Strichen bought the adjoining small estates of Wester Kinmundy and Blackhills. Both of these names were very old, dating back to at least the 16th Century, but Anderson seems not to have liked them. He therefore created the name Westhill from the other two names. This is recorded in the Register of Sasines December 2, 1859.
Wester Kinmundy and Blackhills 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.
Major housing expansions are under way at Elrick and to the west of Westhill. Many new housing estates are being built, primarily from companies such as Stewart Milne and Bett.
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. The growth has been such that the Postal Area formerly known as Skene has been renamed Westhill, so that for postal purposes, the once two-horse-hamlet of Westhill now covers many square miles.
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Wikipedia