Homes on Kingspark site will go ahead following appeal ruling

A Dundee community group’s bid to see off housing plans on green space is dead in the water after an appeal body granted permission to let the homes go ahead.

After several years of backand-forth debate, Persimmon Homes will build 62 homes on the former site of Kingspark School in Kirkton.

The Scottish Government’s planning appeals body has upheld the housebuilder’s case after a protracted battle for permission that went as far as the Court of Session.

Detailed plans for the development were first floated in October 2017 and, while recommended for approval by council officers, were overwhelmingly rejected by councillors in March 2018.

Persimmon appealed the decision to DPEA, the government planning body, but it lost after Holyrood ruled the council had not officially earmarked Kingspark for housing.

However, the case was returned to the DPEA by the Court of Session after Persimmon successfully argued that the council had, in fact, done this in an earlier document.

Based on this, the DPEA has now allowed the development to go ahead – a final decision which has no further route of appeal other than on a point of law in the courts.

Lynn Watson is among the “really disappointed” members of the Kirkton Community Partnership who had fought to save the site. She said: “The wishes of the local community have been completely ignored.”

A Persimmon Homes spokeswoman said: “Interest is high and we look forward to starting on site as soon as possible.”