Village 265-home plan turned down Overdevelopment concern at Seven Sisters Field

Councillors have rejected controversial plans which would have seen 265 new homes built in Cambusbarron.

An online petition aimed at halting the Seven Sisters Field development received 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.

Stirling Council originally refused permission in 2014 to Hallam 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 village primary school. Hallam then pledged £3.5million for an extension to the school and the appeals reporter gave the council and the developer more time to agree a planning obligation. 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.

Barratt Homes West Scotland Ltd then stepped in and submitted an application for approval of matters specified in conditions of that permission to build 265 homes and associated infrastructure.

This came before Stirling Council’s planning panel last week. During the hearing David Jinks, planning manager for Barratt Homes West Scotland, and the company’s technical director Gary McKinnon, told panel members the developer was “fully committed to an attractive development that hopefully will be an asset to the local community”.

They said 40 per cent of the site would be open space and there would be a range of oneto four- bedroom homes “for a large variety of budgets and circumstances”, with demand already strong for the location. An extra classroom would be funded at the school and there would also be affordable homes built, to be owned and managed by Forth Housing Association, and the layout, access and space had been designed to respect the masterplan.

However, Cambusbarron community councillor Marion McAllister, speaking at the hearing “on behalf of the entire community of Cambusbarron”, said: ““Over 20 years this community has seen a 40 per cent increase in housing stock.

This jumps to 65 per cent with this development. It dilutes the very nature of the community which seems so attractive.

“The percentage of the population under the age of 16 in the FK7 area is higher than the national average. We could have 120 pupils from this development alone but only 24 places available at the primary school.”

The Barratt representatives said of almost 30 trees which would be removed, 15 were already dead or dying and 240 new trees would be planted.

However Ms McAllister said: “The very reason Seven Sisters Field is called that is for the seven trees so it is very important for our sense of place that we have these trees on the site.”

At last week’s hearing, council planners advised that the appeal decision had not capped the number of homes on the site and that the original 170 was only considered “indicative capacity”. They said the development was “an example of good design” and considered 265 homes to meet guidelines after taking factors such as layout and the mix of housing type and size into account.

Councillors, however, questioned whether the appeals reporter perceived 265 homes would be proposed when they deemed 170 homes to be “indicative capacity”, with Councillor Alistair Berrill describing the increase as “baffling”.

Panel chair Councillor Alasdair Macpherson said: “I can never remember a density going up so significantly from a masterplan.”

Education officials said if the application was approved they would have to do “a significant piece of work” to come up with the best mitigation solution for the local school with the available funding.

Councillor Macpherson moved to approve the application, adding: “I have great reservations but I trust the judgement of officials on this one.”

He failed, however, to find a seconder, with all members backing Councillor Benny’s motion to reject on grounds including overdevelopment.