Government in seizure of plans for new village

Holyrood will now decide the fate of Oudenarde project

The Scottish Government has taken control of plans for a multi-million-pound new Perthshire village.

Holyrood will now decide the fate of the first phase of the long-awaited Oudenarde project at Bridge of Earn.

The scheme was due to go before councillors for a final decision yesterday.

But the Government seized control at the 11th hour after concerns were raised by Transport Scotland about a lack of detail on how the new settlement will impact on the busy M90. The move has shaken project leaders GS Brown.

Chairman Geoff Brown said: “In my career, I’ve never known anything like this to happen before.”

Mr Brown said a contractor was in place for work to begin in March.

“We have to make sure this delay won’t impact on jobs,” he said.

The Scottish Government has seized control of long-standing plans for a new 1,500-home village on the outskirts of Perth.

Councillors were poised to approve the first stage of the Oudenarde development yesterday morning.

However, the planning application was pulled after a last-minute intervention from Holyrood.

The move means the Scottish Government will get final say on the 159-property development, taking decision-making responsibility away from local councillors.

Transport Scotland had raised concerns that the plan was about to be passed without paperwork in place to demonstrate how the new settlement – at the site of the old Bridge of Earn Hospital – will link safely to the M90.

Chairman Geoff Brown said he received word about the Scottish Government’s intentions in an email at 8.30am yesterday – less than two hours before the planning meeting. “We’re really unhappy that this has happened so late in the day,” he said.

“We have – or had – a contractor in place to be on site by March. Obviously, what’s happened may have jeopardised this agreement and we will need to go back to the contractor and work something out.

“In my career, I’ve never known anything like this to happen before.”

Councillors were to be asked to withdraw a planning condition requested by Transport Scotland, calling for details of the M90/A912 junctions. However, Perth and Kinross Council’s legal team ruled this was not a valid condition.

Perth City South councillor Willie Wilson said: “This is an absolute disgrace. The Scottish Government has known about this application for months and months and will have known it was due to come back to this committee.

“But still they wait until the day before the meeting to ask us to withdraw it.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The application for Oudenarde in Bridge of Earn has been called in by ministers due to the proposal’s potential impact on trunk road infrastructure and road safety.

“This application will be considered and a decision will be issued by ministers in due course.”

We’re really unhappy that this has happened so late in the day. GEOFF BROWN