More homes could be built on western edge
PKC identifies potential new housing site for Perth
Perth and Kinross Council looks set to allocate another huge swath of land on Perth’s western edge for new housing.
And, when added to proposed developments already lined-up at Bertha Park, Almond Valley and Perth West, this means the total number of new properties earmarked from the fringes of the Fair City could be as many as 5050.
Developers and landowners have already called for the area of around 160 hectares to be considered for a “housing-led mixed use development” during a public consultation on the local authority’s proposed Local Development Plan (LDP) 2.
Now councillors have approved a paper prepared by PKC planning officials effectively giving them carte blanche to consider a planning application for the site ahead of a decision on whether or not to even include it in its next proposed LDP.
According to the paper, which was presented to the council’s enterprise and infrastructure committee last Wednesday, the site, which lies south of a 60 hectare site already earmarked for 550 houses – referred to as ‘H70’ in the current LDP – could potentially accommodate another 3200 houses.
Back in 2013 the Scottish Government’s Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) resisted the inclusion of the same site in the current LDP as it concluded there was “no justification for such a significant expansion of the city”.
The reporter assigned to review the proposed LDP at the time, David Buylla, said the proposed development “would represent a very significant and harmful expansion of the built up area of Perth into a landscape setting that ... is distinct from the existing urban form of the city.”
Since then, however, the council has come up with a Strategic Development Framework (SDF) for West/ North West Perth – the paper that was presented to councillors at Wednesday’s meeting – which it says was prepared to “inform the preparation of the Proposed LDP 2.”
It states that the 160 hectare site “could, in theory, come forward through a planning application independent of the preparation of LDP 2” and that “in the event that a planning application ... is submitted in advance of LDP 2” the SDF will provide a “strategic context for assessment”.
The paper, written by PKC planning officers Katrina Walker and Katie Briggs, said: “The Kellas Councillor John
SDF pulls together existing information from a variety of sources including work to date on masterplans, the existing site specific developer requirements in the adopted LDP, and work undertaken by, or on behalf of, the council on specific projects, such as the Cross Tay Link Road and the Perth West Charrette.
“The allocated site at Perth West (H70) is part of a potentially much larger development site. The land to the south of site H70 was not allocated in the LDP as, at that time, it was not considered to be accessible without the construction of a grade-separated junction on the A9 to the west.
“However, this area of white land is excluded from the green belt and included within the settlement boundary to preserve its development potential.
“This wider Perth West site could, in theory, come forward through a planning application independent of the preparation of LDP 2.”
The paper continues: “The Main Issues Report considers the risk of relying heavily on the delivery of the strategic development sites (including Oudenarde) to maintain a five year effective housing land supply.
“If progress on two or more of these sites slows significantly or even stalls, then there may not be sufficient alternatives within the current housing land supply to compensate for this.
“The potential inclusion of a wider Perth West site in LDP 2 is to build greater resilience in the supply of housing land, rather than considering it as a replacement for any of the existing allocated sites.
“Significant work has been done to date on a wider Perth West site through the charrette and master planning process and this is ongoing. This area is white land and is within the settlement boundary.
“In light of all this, it is reasonable to anticipate that a planning application will be forthcoming, even if the site is not allocated in LDP2. As such, it is, therefore, prudent to have this SDF in place in this eventuality.”
Considering the implications of the paper, Councillor Alan Livingstone noted that it could lead to permission being granted to developers to build as many as 8250 houses along Perth’s western edge in the near future when other developments were factored in.
The Conservative councillor acknowledged that planning officials were obliged to identify sufficient land for housing but cast doubt over predictions about how much land was actually needed.
“I think we’re reflecting what civil servants are telling us - that Perth’s population will increase by 25% in the next 25 years,” he said.
“How do they know? I think we’re establishing an overprovision of [housing] land.”
The convener of the committee, Councillor John Kellas, replied that predictions about population growth in Perth had been “close to the mark”.
The paper was unanimously approved.
We’re reflecting what civil servants are telling us - that Perth’s population will increase by 25%