Housing scheme like ‘small town’

THE NEW housing estate at Glenshellach Road is turning into a ‘small town’ on the edge of Oban which needs its own shop, councillors have said.

On Wednesday last week, in Lochgilphead, Argyll and Bute Council’s planning committee unanimously granted Macleod Construction permission to erect eight more homes at Glenshellach, bringing the total up to 78 units. At least 25 per cent are required to be affordable to help address local need.

But 22 residents in nearby Hayfield had objected to the site’s ‘over- development’, arguing it had exceeded the 90 units allocated by the local development plan.

Summing up their objections, the planning officers’ report read: ‘If the final phase proposes three-storey flats, as hinted at in the earlier masterplan, the 90-unit threshold will definitely be exceeded.’

This masterplan, the report explained, indicated 24 flats were planned in the final phase for Argyll Community Housing Association, bringing, if permis- sion were granted, the number of units to 102.

It added that 49 affordable houses had already been secured, beyond the 25 per cent required.

Hayfield residents had also objected to ‘the loss of precious areas of open space’, to which officers said the developer had reserved an area of land for a play area and open space.

Head of planning and regulatory services Angus Gilmour told the meeting in the council chambers on May 18: ‘It’s a large housing area with good transport connections. It would benefit from a local shop.’

Councillor George Freeman agreed: ‘It is essentially a large village, or a small town, with no facilities such as shops.’

‘It’s a lost opportunity,’ said Councillor Roddy McCuish. ‘It’s a long way out of town. What an ideal opportunity for a private developer to put a very successful shop in there.

‘This is a fast-growing area of Oban.’

Councillor Robert Graham MacIntyre added: ‘As much as we need as many houses into the area as possible, we need to have the services there first.’