Trees, not houses, Scottish Government decides

The Scottish Government has rejected plans to build more than 100 homes on ancient woodland near Dunblane.

Campaigners, including the Woodland Trust, had opposed the plan to erect 129 homes and associated infrastructure at Wanderwrang Wood, which is present on the earliest ordnance survey maps of the area.

The 12.9 hectare site, near the Keir roundabout south of the Perthshire town, is designated ancient woodland on the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) Ancient Woodland Inventory. It is also designated as Green Belt in Stirling Council’s Local Development Plan 2014.

An appeal was made by Arnbathie Developments Limited, of which Stagecoach bus company founder Ann Gloag is a director, and Dandara Ltd of Aberdeen after Stirling Council failed to issue a decision within the prescribed period.

Mike Croft, the reporter appointed by Scottish ministers, dismissed the appeal and refused planning permission as a Section 75 agreement had not been reached to deal with affordable housing and a developers’ contribution towards children’s play space.

The proposal included a mix of detached, semi-detached and terraced houses, and bungalows as well as two apartment blocks of four and three storeys, and 281 vehicle parking spaces.

The UK’s leading woodland conservation charity, the Woodland Trust, “strongly objected” to the application, based on the damage the development would have caused to the ancient Wanderwrang Wood.

The Woodland Trust Scotland said it was “delighted” with the refusal and that the wood had been saved for future generations.