Home set for consent
Fourteen objections have failed to persuade planners to reject a woman’s application to build a new home near an animal sanctuary in Kinross-shire.
Margaret Hutt applied for consent to build the house off Hatchbank Road west of Gairney Bank close to Greyhound Rescue Fife back in September but drew criticism from Kinross Community Council, the Kinross-shire Civic Trust (KCT) and 14 other households.
Kinross Community Council objected to the application being approved over concerns the only access to the plot is on a narrow single vehicle track with no passing places or pavements.
The group said the application ought to be considered alongside another lodged by a second individual seeking permission to build kennels on a site north of the plot which it’s understood can only be accessed using the same track.
They said:“This road is already heavily used by the various occupancies. Traffic generated by both applications would cause road safety concerns.
“The access area is a designated spot for children to board school buses and disembark on the opposite side of the road; this would compromise their safety.”
KCT objected to the scheme being approved out of concern for a number of mature trees Ms Hutt is proposing to fell to make way for her planned home, one of which is known to have a squirrel drey.
They said:“As the trees have such importance in terms of their heritage, ecology and visual amenity, we query whether complete felling is the only way to deal with the five trees identified.”
Planning officials have now recommended Ms Hutt’s application be approved, however, as the local authority’s transport officers raised no concerns about the proposal during the consultation stage.
The same officials also reckon the proposed dwelling can be built without“impacting”on the mature trees KCT raised concerns about.
A report of handling scheduled to be put before a council committee for approval this week states:“The proposed development .. could be built without impacting the mature trees at the site, providing tree protection measures are put in place before any site construction/clearance.”
The council’s planning and development management committee is scheduled to consider the report and its recommendation to approve the application tomorrow (Wednesday, October 20).