Efforts to meet the critical demand for affordable housing in Perth and Kinross have stalled after a flagship development was constructed just centimetres from its intended position.
The discrepancy has been enough to halt building work at Perth Road in Scone where vital new homes have been taking shape.
The debacle has staggered local councillors who are desperate to see new housing made available to the village which, like communities across the region, is in the midst of a housing crisis.
Ten flats are being built on the site as part of a £4.7 million investment throughout Perth and Kinross designed to help address the region’s chronic lack of properties.
Council chiefs have, however, admitted that the homes have been built 15cm closer to the road than they should have been.
The flats are also fractionally taller than intended and the two errors have forced contractors to down tools until their planning permission is amended.
While the local authority has pledged to ensure work is back on track as soon as possible, completion will now be delayed until late September at the earliest.
Housing and health convener Dave Doogan stressed that the situation in Scone was “in no way unprecedented in the construction industry” and said the housing remained a hugely positive development for the community.
Nonetheless, local councillors have expressed dismay at the delays and criticised Mr Doogan for his lack of candour, having had to seek their own answers to explain the lack of progress on the site.
The Scone debacle came to light following a period of inaction on the site that has left local councillor Peter Barrett stunned.
“I’ve driven past the site on numerous occasions and nothing appeared to be happening to the flats,” he told The Courier.
“I couldn’t understand why progress appeared to be so slow since the frames went up.”
After contacting senior housing management, Mr Barrett received confirmation that the Scone flats had been built half a metre too high and 15cm out of position.
“This now raises more questions than it answers,” he said.
“How long have officers and the housing convener been aware of the problem and why have they withheld that information from councillors?”
“Last week at a meeting of the housing committee we had a lot of talk from Mr Doogan about how well the council’s new housing build program was doing.
“There was not a single word in explanation of the serious problems that have stalled the program in Scone. These are matters that should have been brought to ward councillors and committee members’ attention not swept under the carpet.”
Mr Barrett called for full disclosure of the facts and a full explanation from the council in particular whether there will be any additional costs.
Perth and Kinross has long faced a pressing need for new housing construction, with the region long recognised as Scotland’s fastest-growing local authority area.
There is, however, now an even greater need for action, with the council admitting earlier this month that lack of housing stock could put at risk families affected by the bedroom tax.
A spokesman said the blunder would not result in a loss to the public purse and pledged that the development would soon be back on track.
He said: “The contractor is reducing the height of the roof at no extra cost to the council. A minor adjustment to the planning consent is required.”
The builders behind the development could not be reached for comment.