House plan is approved
The owners of a crumbling Kinrossshire farmhouse, which is said to have been uninhabited for about 80 years, have won their appeal to demolish the delapidated building.
Lands of Rintoul, three miles north west of Kinross in Dalqueich, is boarded up and falling into a state of disrepair with a 1.5m square hole in its roof.
Back in December, councillors on Perth and Kinross Council’s (PKC) local review body deferred reviewing a planning decision until officers had been given a chance to consider an economic viability study.
On Tuesday (March 3) councillors approved the appeal by two votes to one after it was revealed estimated renovation costs would amount to around £362,000“prior to any upgrading of the existing access road or landscaping of the garden and grounds”, with the house then achieving a market value of £315,000.
Ally and Lisa Dawson bought the farmhouse and its surrounding 12 acres back in 2014 with the hope of replacing the derelict mid-19th century farmhouse with a new sustainable, environmentally-friendly home built into the hillside.
The Dawsons say the farmhouse has been deemed“dangerous to enter”for about 20 years.
Their application was refused in May by PKC, which said the building “contributes positively”to the character of the area and that “no justification”had been provided that the building could not be repaired at a suitable cost.
Following the application’s planning refusal, the Dawsons asked experts to carry out an economic viability study.
The case was previously deferred to get a comment from Perth and Kinross HeritageTrust.
It too was given a chance to respond to the economic viability study but said its response would be the same, and that the demolitiom would“have a negative impact both through the loss of a traditional vernacular dwelling of the mid 18th–early 19th century, and on the landscape in which it exists.”
The case officer’s response said: “Whilst there is some doubt at the end cost which the statement concludes with, we are of the view that adequate justification in terms of economic viability has now been provided.
“However, the conservation officer would reiterate her previous comments that, given the historic interest of the existing building and its prominence in the landscape, the replacement building should mimic the appearance, materials and detailing of the existing building and incorporate salvaged stonework where possible.“
At Tuesday’s meeting, convener Cllr Henry Anderson voted for refusal on the grounds of the property being too contemporary in its design.
But Cllr Ian James voted for approval, saying:“I actually quite like the design, to be honest. ”
Cllr Willie Wilson agreed, saying the building had “outlived its usefulness.”
Following the decision, Mr Dawson said: “We can now go on and build our dream home for our family for generations to come.”