Villagers lose housing battle 650 homes on Luncarty site get OK

Luncarty residents accused Perth and Kinross Council of rewarding a developer at the expense of their quality of life by agreeing a major housing project.

The council’s planning and development management committee this week agreed in principle to an application by A&J Stephen to build 650 homes on arable farmland in the small settlement.

Part of the plan is develop five hectares of land for employment.

Ian Matheson from Luncarty, Redgorton and Moneydie Community Council said after the meeting the decision was contradictory to assurances previously given by the council that the village would be shielded from development of this scale.

He said: “There was much opposition to the route of the Cross Tay Link Road and how it would be detrimental if it came through at Denmarkfield.

“Now any control of our quiet, rural environment has been taken away from us.”

An attempt at stopping the scheme was also made by Cllr Ian James but this was ruled to be incompetent.

Cllr James wanted building to be limited to the 300 homes cited as suitable in the local development plan (LDP).

He argued that, with the Bertha Park development going ahead and another major build of 450 homes agreed for Stanley, the Luncarty plan was one development too many.

Cllr Tom Gray successfully urged the members to back the housing plan. While noting the issue of access and loss of residential amenity, he argued that the site near to existing Luncarty homes was already “relatively unattractive” due to noise from the A9 and the nearby railway line.

John Stephen, managing director of developer A&J Stephen, told the committee that in 28 years he had only chosen to speak to planning members once before, about his plan for Scone.

He said: “I’m here today because there is a serous problem for employment.

“As it is sites are finishing at a faster rate than permission is being granted. 15 direct employees have recently lost their jobs.”

He said that of all the statutory consultees only Luncarty, Redgorton and Moneydie Community Council had made any objection.

He continued: “Of those other bodies - Scottish Natural Heritage, Historic Environment Scotland, Transport Scotland, Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust, RSPB - not one of them objects to the plan in principle.”

Mr Stephen accepted the LDP identified space for 300 homes on the site but said that after 2024, when a new LDP2 would be operative, there was no limit on the scale of development. It was reasonable to propose 650 homes to be built in timed phases.

Ian Matheson told the meeting that the link road to the A9 into Perth was choked in the morning “by a river of steel” and he had major concerns that the junction to the Luncarty homes site at Scarth Road was inadequate for an increase in traffic. It would be “an accident waiting to happen”.

Council officers estimated that if the full 650 homes and five hectares for employment were developed there would be a “dramatic rise” to 514 car movements.

It was noted conditions existed that would ensure Scarth Road had improvements made before any construction started.

Alistair Godfrey, from Luncarty, made a plea that fields around the village, access to the river and core paths would not be incorporated into “an urban setting”.