PLANNING PERMISSION for a house to be built on land at Balgove Steading by Montrose, which was turned down by Angus Council, has been given the go-ahead on appeal.

The Reporter appointed by Scottish ministers to determine the appeal by Andrew Ogilvie, acknowledged that the site was not precisely the type of development opportunity the authors of the local plan would have had in mind.

“On the other hand it comes quite close to fitting the terms of this policy,” he said.

He found that the proposal was not completely in accordance with the development plan which presumes against new houses in the countryside, but that any conflict was not very serious if proper weight was attached to the physical situation prevailing.

The site lay outside the eastern end of an existing group of buildings at Balgove but was readily distinguished from any other open land round about and was more closely related to the building group than to any other feature.

The Reporter concluded, “Any conflict is not particularly serious. I am satisfied that the area can be developed without any additional impacts through the loss of trees and the traffic impact of a single house, which will not lead to ribbon development, can be discounted.

“In this particular case, I consider the council’s preoccupation with ribbon development to be disproportionate.”