Cost of track makes project unviable
A Kinross-shire community council has recommended planning officials refuse to remove a condition attached to a man’s planning consent obligating him to improve a local track.
Council officers granted Kevin O’Reilly permission to build a house and office on land south west of Powmill Cottage near Rumbling Bridge last October with the proviso that he pay to upgrade a track linking the site to the A977.
However, a planning consultant acting for Mr O’Reilly has since asked Perth and Kinross Council to drop the condition as he claims the planned upgrade could end up costing his client as much as £350,000.
In a supporting statement Joe Fitzpatrick has argued the“burden” of bringing the track up to the standard at which the council would consider adopting it would make the entire development“financially unviable”.
Mr Fitzpatrick said in his supporting statement:“A preliminary costing exercise carried out by my client in relation to provision of an adoptable roadway, including construction of a temporary road to maintain access to properties beyond during construction, indicates that the cost of implementing the works to fully adoptable standard will be in order of £320k-£350k.”
But Fossoway Community Council has now filed an objection to Mr O’Reilly’s application to delete the condition arguing all historical applications associated with the site have had the same condition attached to them.
The group’s objection says:“This application refers to area E23 of the LDP2 and has a significant history of planning applications.
“E23 was originally intended for employment use with associated residential properties, where encouragement would be given to the development or expansion of employment opportunities where the development would be compatible in amenity and land use terms with surrounding land uses.
“The requirement for employment use associated with this proposed dwellinghouse has already been removed. However, in all the historical applications the requirement to upgrade the private track linking the A977 to Craigton Farm at the end of the track has existed.
“The CC strongly recommends that the track, which is also a public footpath and has no passing places, be upgraded as per the original conditions of the approved planning applications.
“The track is regularly used by walkers and farm vehicles. By placing dwellinghouses midway along the track without the provision of passing places in our view is unacceptable.”
The application awaits a decision by PKC planners.