New homes plan ‘doesn’t account for speeding cars’
Proposal for West Kinfauns
A developer’s bid to build over a dozen new homes in West Kinfauns has triggered objections from locals concerned the company seems unaware buses no longer visit the hamlet.
Ogilvie Homes applied to Perth and Kinross Council for permission to build 15 four bedroom detached dwellings on land west of Walnut Grove last month, according to the local authority’s website.
In a transport statement dated March this year, Dougall Baillie Associates claimed future residents would benefit from “regular bus services” linking the proposed development “throughout Perth providing access to all amenities within”.
But two locals have now objected to the proposal.
They have pointed out that Stagecoach stopped sending its 39 service through West
Kinfauns in February. The company said at the time it took the decision due to “very low passenger usage”.
The same residents do reckon the area is regularly visited by speeding drivers, however, and that the transport statement sent to PKC fails to convey how dangerous local roads are considered to be.
Stephen Windsor, one of the local objectors, has told PKC: “The transport report is wrong in many respects. They claim there are regular buses when there are no buses. The report does not take into account the safety concerns of locals and the fact that serious injury has been caused by speeding traffic through the area.
“There is no mention of data provided by PKC to show that 25 per cent of traffic passing through the area is travelling at over 50mph and some as much as 70mph in a 30mph zone.”
Mr Windsor added: “The road through the Holdings has been described by senior police officers as an accident waiting to happen.
“There is no mention and a lack of concern from PKC … of the fact that on one occasion the police attended and booked 18 [or] 19 drivers for speeding, two for failing to stop for a police officer, and they issued warnings to another 70. These concerns have not been addressed and blatantly ignored in the name of profit.”
Another local David Wallace said in his objection: “When we applied to build our house we had to conform to the other house types in the area, being single storey only.”
And he went on: “There would be potentially a further 30 cars from the 15 houses which creates more traffic and noise issues. There is also a problem of speeding. There are no pavements either which is a road safety concern.”
The application awaits further scrutiny by PKC.