Aberdeenshire Council has unveiled a £400m programme of capital investment on key infrastructure improvements for the area.

The plans will be undertaken and completed over the next four years and include the construction of new schools, state-of-the-art leisure facilities and new care complexes.

A £6m community sports complex is planned at Hill of Banchory and will incorporate a six-lane swimming pool, while a 60-bed care home and eight associated bungalows have been proposed as part of the Inverurie Care Village.

Elsewhere, work is expected to begin this summer on the planned £40m Ellon Academy Community Campus. The complex will provide schooling for 1,200 pupils, will have a swimming pool, community areas and a new NHS facility.

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Plans are also underway for the construction of the £40m Alford Community Campus while new primary schools are planned for the area, with a total cost of £50m.

More than £15m will also be spent on the major refurbishment and extension to Kemnay Academy to ensure the school can cope with the projected increase in school rolls over the next five years.

A council spokeswoman added: "Plans are also under way for a £27 million investment in the council’s depots, rationalising existing facilities and constructing new ones. The project will ensure the council’s depots are fit-for-purpose to support the delivery of frontline services including waste, housing, roads, fleet and landscaping.

"More than £10 million has been set aside to implement changes to the recycling and refuse collection arrangements."

She described the programme as "one of the most ambitious" in Scotland.

(JP/CD)