Casting vote breaks deadlock on homes
A major new housing development in Blairgowrie has been given the green light by the narrowest of margins.
Following a heated debate at a meeting of the newly re-named planning and development management committee at Perth and Kinross Council on Wednesday last week, full planning permission was granted for Stewart Milne Homes to build 71 affordable homes at Moyness Park off Blackthorn Place.
A full public gallery turned out to see the decision being made, which ended up requiring convener Councillor Murray Lyle to use his casting vote as chair for approval after the members’ initial vote was tied at five apiece.
The development is solely comprised of social, or ‘affordable’, units and concerns were raised over the density of properties on the site, which will cover around 1.6 hectares of ground in the south-western area of Blairgowrie.
The waiting list for social housing in the Blairgowrie currently sits at more than 300 people.
Planning officers at the council had received over 100 letters of objection from the public prior to the application being considered, with concerns ranging from a perceived over-development of the site, lack of open space in the proposed development, lack of parking places, noise pollution, inadequate employment available in the area, anti-social behaviour, and the proportion of affordable housing proposed being too high.
The meeting took a dramatic turn when a member of the public was effectively thrown out of the chamber in the middle of making his deputation to the committee.
The man, referred to in the chamber as Mr Kemp, addressed elected members and said: “I object to this planning application - the proposal has 100 per cent affordable housing and I accept the need for social housing and I agree with the concept of integration, but this is not integration, it is concentration.
“We should create a vibrant and successful area with a positive image locally, but this is not a positive image, this will be an estate like no other in Blairgowrie and a throwback to the ‘60s and ‘70s when it was ‘build as many as you can and to hell with the consequences’.
“These plans are not acceptable to the community and most importantly not acceptable to the people, it puts in mind the word ghetto.”
Convener Councillor Lyle stopped Mr Kemp, saying he was not prepared to have the word “ghetto” used in the debate, and said the committee would