Farmhouse proposal rejected
Plans for a new farmhouse near Balfron have been rejected.
Robert Taylor sought permission for the new home and driveway in a field 170 metres north of Rosebank, north of Fintry and adjacent to the B822.
However, Stirling Council planners have now refused his application.
Mr Taylor had lodged an Agricultural Labour Requirement Report which said the house was needed for farming as he is a third generation farmer who has returned to the area to take over the 140-acre business at Nether Glinns.
Council planners agreed there was a genuine need for labour to be housed in the vicinity of the farm for its long term viability. However, they said the siting of the proposed house raised several “significant concerns”.
They added: “The application site for the house has a large footprint with an area of 2.45 acres. The site is considered to be very large for the proposed curtilage of a house and is not reflective of the spatial qualities of the area. Whilst the application is for permission in principle there is an indicative site plan provided as part of the application which shows the dwellinghouse being set back from the B822 and sited on top of the natural rise in the landscape. The elevated position would result in the development being visually prominent from the street scene but also within the wider landscape.
“It is located in the centre of a relatively large field and at the top of a rise in the landscape which would result it being visually prominent within the setting.
“The access driveway itself also raises concerns in terms of visual amenity as it had a large footprint and due to the topography of the site would be visually prominent from the street scene. The proposal includes the requirement of a culvert as the proposed access driveway crosses a burn within the application site. SEPA’S Triage Framework states that culverts should be avoided where possible and should always be avoided where they are solely for land gain. The rationale behind the culvert has not been submitted within the application.”