PKC under fire on homes plan
Lack of consultation concerns over scheme
Concerned residents have hit out at Perth and Kinross Council over an apparent lack of public consultation on a proposed housing development in Blairgowrie.
The local authority last month approved funding of nearly half a million pounds to Hillcrest Housing Association for the affordable housing development of 71 homes at Blackthorn Place in the town.
According to council papers, the money is to be transferred to the housing association in March, enabling work to start on the site this year.
Once completed, all of the proposed 71 houses would be available as social rented units.
And a planning application for the development has been submitted to the council, leading to residents in the area raising a number of issues concerning the local authority’s handling of the proposed development.
One member of the public, who asked not to be named, said: “As a development of this size constitutes a major planning application it needs a pre-planning application notice, which should be submitted 12 weeks before the planning application itself and which involves a public consultation.
“But the council are saying they don’t need to do this as a public consultation was held in 2010.
“Hardly anyone turned up to the official public consultation meeting then, and many of those who did were staff at the community campus where it was held.
“There was another public meeting which residents organised which was much better attended, over 80 people came along, but the council told me that the feedback gathered there doesn’t count as it wasn’t part of the official consultation.”
They continued: “That consultation was also for a different planning application, which was subsequently withdrawn by the developers in 2013 so how can it count for this application?
“I am really concerned that the council is not following proper procedure here.”
Perth and Kinross Council confirmed that they received an application from Stewart Milne Homes earlier this month for the erection of 71 houses at the site.
However, a spokesperson for the local authority said that “the application is not yet valid and is currently pending registration”.
Once the validation process has been completed, the council says that neighbours will be notified and full application details will be visible and available to comment on via the planning portal on the council’s website.
The council also attempted to allay concerns around the lack of a public consultation for the proposed development, saying that they have “approached the applicant with a view to undertaking a further community consultation event”.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the council said: “In respect of pre-application consultation with the community, the applicant has submitted a Pre-Application Consultation (PAC) report alongside this application as required under the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 2013.
“This consultation was on the basis of the Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) submitted to the council in 2010 for a ‘residential development’ on the same site. These regulations do not set a statutory period for a PAN being valid, even where previous applications have been submitted as has been the case for this site.
“On the basis of these requirements and the content of the previously-submitted PAN, the submission does meet the statutory requirements.”
The statement continued: “Notwithstanding these statutory requirements, the council has approached the applicant with a view to undertaking a further community consultation event, coordinated with the Perth and Kinross Housing team and Hillcrest Housing Association, the outcomes of which can be appropriately included within an updated PAC report prior to the validation of the application.
“This will afford local residents an opportunity to be informed about and comment on the proposal. Thereafter, as with any planning application, any interested parties can still elect to submit representation once it is validated.”
Local councillor for Blairgowrie and the Glens, Caroline Shiers, says that she has discussed the matter with concerned local residents, the community council and Perth and Kinross Council officers, and is pushing for a “full consultation”.
She said: “I have already outlined concerns about any proposed development on the site without appropriate consultation.
“A full transport impact plan needs to be conducted as there are issues with the infrastructure around the campus already and more houses built there without these issues being addressed is a recipe for disaster.
“I am also concerned that this application should not be rushed. There needs to be local consultation and an opportunity for the plans to be discussed to ensure the density and character of the area is maintained.
She added: “I have already voiced my concerns to PKC on this and will continue to push for full consultation on this new application.”