It is understood local residents contacted the local authority over the New Year period about engineering works which had been carried out within a field at the site. A subsequent investigation has revealed that the work is a breach of planning control, and the council has taken action.

A Temporary Stop Notice has been issued in order to prevent any further work from taking place.

In a statement, the council said it believed “unauthorised excavation and the formation of soil bunding and hardstanding” had been carried out.

Robert Gray, Aberdeenshire Council’s head of planning, said: “This notice requires the unauthorised work to cease with immediate effect and has been served following complaints from local residents and our own investigations.”