House plan in Kippen is rejected by planners
Plans to build a house in Kippen which attracted 15 objections have been rejected by Stirling Council planners.
Jamie Martin had submitted an application for a bungalow on an undeveloped field adjacent to north east of Helensfield on Rennie’s Loan.
The proposal attracted a total of 17 representations, including the objections.
Concerns raised included that the house and access would be detrimental to the Conservation Area and listed buildings and adversely affect the quality and setting of the historic core of Kippen.
There were also concerns about construction traffic damaging the fabric of the lane, a safety risk from increased traffic, inappropriate parking arrangements, and removal of trees and hedges in the Conservation Area.
In their decision, council planners said:“the site is located within the Kippen Conservation Area, but is outwith the settlement boundary as defined by the 2018 Local Development Plan.
“The proposal also features a driveway for the house that will gain access off the B8037 and will run along the northern boundary to the property Helensfield, to access the site.”
The planners said that, despite the applicant asking that the plans be considered as exceptional circumstances given the proximity of the house to the village boundary, it did not meet the criteria.
They also said there was“no visible evidence”of a previous structure above ground level so it could not be considered a brownfield site and the proposed house would not be considered to visually or environmentally improve the area.
They added:“the site plays an important role in the character of this area as the Conservation Area transitions from urban to the rural farmland. The development of a house alongside the associated garden would detract from the rural setting of back lane and be detrimental to the historic character of Rennie’s Loan.
“The outlook (north) onto the rural landscape from this part of the Conservation Area would also be harmed and the development would contribute to the erosion of greenspace.
“There are multiple listed buildings to the south east of the development site including the Black Bull house, Glebe House and Old Kirk Bell Tower, all of which contribute to the historic character of the area. These can be viewed from Rennie’s Loan and benefit from an uncompromised relationship to the rural landscape. The development of a house on the proposed site would be detrimental to this setting and the fine composition of historic buildings and their relationship to the rural landscape.
“The proposal also details that an orchard would be planted in the field to the south of the proposed house, to increase biodiversity and serve as screening between the proposed dwelling and the listed building, Black Bull. It is recognised the planting would offer some screening, however this is not sufficient to mitigate the harmful impacts upon the listed buildings. Proposed additional planting would seek to increase biodiversity.
“The Transport Development Team were consulted and advised that they would have no objection to the proposal subject to imposing conditions, because it is not considered to adversely affect the Public Road Network. It was also noted that Rennie’s Loan is a private road and that approval from the road owner would be required for access, works to the track and agreement of maintenance.
“The team also raised no concerns in regards to roads safety, however they did recognise the Public Right of Way and recommended a condition be attached if the application was approved to manage the impact on the core footpath.
“The council arborist has reviewed the application, however would require more information in order to make a full assessment of the extent of the tree works.”