Hearing on 265-home development next week Seven Sisters Field plan previously sparked petition
A controversial 265-home development proposed for Cambusbarron will be the subject of a hearing at Stirling Council’s planning panel next week.
An online petition aimed at halting the Seven Sisters Field reached 230 signatures earlier this year, with campaigners warning the community’s infrastructure, including the school, roads and health services, wouldn’t be able to cope even with significant investment.
The site has already been the focus of a lengthy planning wrangle which finally resulted in permission in principle being granted for housing last year. Barratt Homes West Scotland Ltd then submitted an application for approval of matters specified in conditions of that permission to build 265 homes and associated infrastructure, which will come before panel members on Tuesday. Cambusbarron Community Council has told council planners, who are recommending conditional approval, that “an overdeveloped site, which is cluttered and claustrophobic, is not acceptable to this community”.
Stirling Council originally refused permission in 2014 to Hallam Land Management for a 170-home housing estate on the field, which lies above St Ninians
Road on the eastern approach to the village.
A subsequent appeal was turned down by the Scottish Government’s planning appeals department (DPEA) - however its rejection was based almost solely on lack of space at the local primary school. Hallam then came back pledging £3.5million for an extension to the school - a move the local community council branded a “Trojan horse” aimed at securing the housing. In 2017 Stirling Council’s education committee also said almost double that amount would be needed.
The appeals reporter gave the council and the developer more time to agree a planning obligation, but when that failed to materialise Hallam submitted a draft planning obligation to the reporter and planning permission in principle was eventually conditionally approved in September last year.
The latest application, submitted by Barratt Homes, seeks to address the attached conditions.
In their report due before the panel, council planners said: “The principle of development on this site has been established through the appeal process which granted planning permission in principle. This application is limited to addressing the detail of the matters set out in the application description.
“Impact on education is an issue that was covered at the PPP (planning permission in principle) stage and a signed Section 75 legal agreement is in place that requires the applicant to contribute £5,004,700 to the provison of capacity enhancement.”
In a masterplan submitted on behalf of the developers, architects said: “The proposal reflects the key design principles established within the PPP masterplan. For example, open space provision, pedestrian links and primary street structure all remain in line with the original vision for the site.
“It presents an excellent opportunity to provide a high quality new residential development with a mix of new family homes on an allocated housing site.
“In terms of landscape, it is proposed to remove a number of poor quality existing trees within the site. However, these trees will be replaced with appropriate tree and landscape planting.”