Survey dig in Scone
Work begins on area where developer plans 100 homes
Work started this week on what is understood to be an archaeological survey of a site where a developer wants to build up to 100 new homes in Scone.
According to residents a mechanical digger has been carving out trenches in the field behind Spoutwells Drive since Monday with around twenty trenches having been completed.
Work started this week on what is understood to be an archaeological survey of a site where a developer wants to build up to 100 new homes in Scone.
According to residents a mechanical digger has been carving out trenches in the field behind Spoutwells Drive since Monday and it is understood around twenty trenches have now been completed.
The work comes a little over a week after planning bosses wrote to councillors saying housebuilder A&J Stephen has finally signed a legal agreement binding it to make a cash contribution towards improving infrastructure likely to be impacted by its wider plans to build as many as 700 houses in the future. Community councillor Martin Rhodes told the
Digging in Workmen at ‘Scone North’ PA this week the small team spotted working on the excavations, some of which he estimates are only half a metre deep, may have already unearthed something of interest.
“One of my colleagues went into the field yesterday [Tuesday] and found something about half way down,” he said. “It looks like it might possibly be a path or even part of a building.
“I went out to see what sort of depth the trench was and it was about two foot deep.”
However Mr Rhodes went on to say some of the trenches dug nearest Harper Way are already full of water which he believes demonstrates the community council was right to raise concerns the site was unsuitable for new developments.
“The trenches they have dug near Harper Way are absolutely full of water,” he said. “That’s an area we said they shouldn’t build in because it’s just a quagmire.”
According to the letter which was sent to councillors at the start of the month the local authority reckons it will be able to issue a decision notice on A&J Stephen’s in-principle planning application for the site soon potentially clearing the way for the company to submit a further detailed application later this year.
It said: “The associated legal agreement has now been signed by all parties with the hard copy passed back to the council’s representative solicitors DLA Piper to allow the agreement to be formally registered by the keeper.
“Following the acknowledgement of the agreement registration and the payment of the associated legal fees, the council will be in a position to issue the decision notice.”
However Mr Rhodes said although elected members had received an update on what the council has agreed with A&J Stephen since the company’s in-principle application was approved almost a year ago the community council had received no such notification.
“We don’t know if what A&J Stephen has signed for now is the same as what was agreed back in May, yet now we have these people busy digging in the field,” he said.
“I wouldn’t have thought they should be doing that until everything is signed and sealed.”