Neighbours lose battle against plans for house

Scottish Government overturns Dundee City Council’s rejection of proposal

An overgrown patch of grass slap in the middle of a Dundee cul-de-sac is at the centre of a bizarre planning dispute after Scottish Government officials overruled the council.

For 40 years Dundee City Council workers lovingly tended the grassy island on Gotterstone Drive, however residents say that stopped abruptly when it finally emerged the site was in fact private land.

An application from a Mr John Brady to build on the unusual plot was then rejected by the local authority, but that has now been flipped by the Scottish Government who granted approval in principle.

Irate residents, who say the patch was always listed as public open space on title deeds, have vowed to fight against the proposed house which would be directly in front of their living-rooms.

Gary Black said: “We will do whatever it takes to stop this madness.

“If a house gets built, there will be a blind corner and it will only be a matter of time before a child gets knocked down.

“Sometimes you can’t get parked on this street at all, so adding another house would worsen it.”

Residents have also argued that young children will have no green space on the street to play on if the land is built on.

Retiree Hazel Smith said: “It’s crazy beyond words.

“It turns out that all our title deeds are now wrong, and that it’s not public space after all but private.

“A mistake has clearly been made along the way somewhere, but no one has any answers.

“The Scottish Government report says that the area is overgrown and neglected, but that’s only because the council stopped cutting the grass when they discovered it was private land and the owner isn’t maintaining it either.”

Councillor Lesley Brennan added that she was “hugely disappointed” by the outcome of the case, and has called for the city’s local development plan to be amended to protect green spaces between houses.

She said: “The permission is only in principle, so the residents can keep lobbying – a house would totally destroy the design of that scheme.”

The Scottish Government’s reporter has responded to all of the residents’ concerns and ruled that the plans can go ahead subject to conditions.

Reporter Sue Bell said: “The indicative design demonstrates that there is adequate space on the plot to provide off-road parking.

“The planning authority has confirmed that the site is not protected as ‘open space’ or part of the green network in the local development plan.

“Each of the surrounding properties has private garden space and there are other public open spaces within walking distance of the site.

“The site is located on a cul-de-sac, meaning that there is no through traffic.

“The addition of a single property is not anticipated to add significantly to the flow of traffic in the area.”

Mr Brady could not be reached for comment.

A Dundee City Council spokesman said: “This is a complex situation which the council is currently examining.”

It turns out that all our title deeds are now wrong, and that it’s not public space after all but private. HAZEL SMITH

Pictures: Kris Miller. Residents, from left: Gary and Laura Black, Paul Bastianelli and Hazel Smith, the land in question and title deeds in which the plot is marked Public Owned Site (POS).