Plans turned down

Controversial plans to create a bellmouth junction off a road in Kinlochard have been rejected by National Park planners.

Graham Clough had submitted an application for the junction and access road to serve a maximum of 12 houses on land west of Lochard Cottage.

However, nine objections were submitted plus another from Strathard Community Council.

Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park has now refused the application saying the junction would not be able to accommodate a refuse vehicle while being used by another vehicle, its “urban”character, scale and form”would be unsympathetic to the lochside setting and create an adverse visual impact, that it would not be a safe entrance and exit to the site in the event of flooding, and lack of information on the potential for protected species on the site.

Strathard Community Council had objected saying:“the basis for this decision was serious concerns with road safety, flooding issues and the amenity of existing properties in the area immediately to the east of the planned site for the road.”

Stirling Council’s roads authority had also objected, saying submissions in support of the application had failed to evidence that the junction could operate to the council’s satisfaction.

National Park planners said the principle of a new road to access an approved housing development was deemed acceptable, however original planning permission for the housing included an alternative vehicular access route that joined the B829 at a point further west – and they understood that this may not be implementable.

They added: “Notwithstanding that the historically approved – and now extant – housing scheme was for 24 dwellings, the access is proposed to serve a maximum of 12 dwellings and, given this is the basis for assessment, were a planning permission otherwise granted, a planning condition would be required to limit the number of dwellings served to no more than 12.