Cider house ruled against by PKC

Planners have denied a wannabe cider producer permission to build a new factory halfway between two Perthshire villages.

Aberfeldy man James Neill applied to build the facility plus an orchard with a“pick your own apple”area next to the Gowrie Farm development on the B9099 between Stanley and Luncarty last year.

He wanted to produce up to 7000 litres of cider a year once the plant was up and running.

A supporting statement accompanying his application, written by property specialists Strutt and Parker, suggested the proposal was“entirely compatible with the surrounding land uses”and had been designed to have“minimum impact on the landscape [and] the amenity of neighbouring houses adjacent to the site”.

However, neighbours concerned the“pick your own apple”orchard would draw huge numbers of visitors to the area on roads they feel are unsuited to heavy traffic were bitterly opposed to the plan and PKC received 14 representations with most raising this concern as their primary reason for objecting.

One wrote:“Road safety will be further reduced on an already busy, fast and dangerous road. The proposed new entrance would further add to the accident risk and the access road is not fit for purpose.”

PKC planner Andy Baxter has since ruled in a report:“The proposed new courtyard and new access would be extremely isolated, essentially positioned within an open field.

“The applicant is intending to plant around the courtyard area and access with new fruit trees and landscaping along the boundaries.

“However at the moment the site of the shed/dwelling etc and the new access is wide open, with no containment or framework landscape.

“It is also the case that the wider field is relevantly open and exposed to the public road to the south.

“I therefore consider the proposal to have a negative impact on the visual amenity of the area and would result in an incongruous development in an open field.”

And recommending the application be refused he said:“As a result of the isolated nature of the site, and the lack of a suitable landscape framework or containment which is capable of absorbing the development proposed, the proposal would result in an incongruous, isolated development.

“To this end, this proposal is contrary to [PKC] policy PM1A ... which requires all new development to contribute positively to the quality of the surrounding built and natural environment.”