Forfar’s biggest housing development for almost two decades has been given the planning green light.
Angus development standards committee councillors hailed the 209-house, £40 million Guild Homes scheme for Wester Restenneth as a boost for the town and the economy, with the first buyers set to receive the keys to their new homes in less than a year.
Approval for the 17-hectare portion of land between the Old Brechin Road and Montrose Road represents the successful conclusion to a complex planning history for the site stretching back beyond 2002.
The land was zoned for around 250 homes by the local authority, and later approved for 220. Further discussions between the Angus firm and planners have led to the number of houses being reduced to 209 in a bid to allay concerns over the relationship with neighbouring commercial concerns.
Company managing director Mark Guild told councillors on Tuesday that the project was a major step for his business and the town.
“This is the largest detailed housing application for Forfar for some 18 years,” he said. “The success of this proposal has far-reaching consequences for not just our company and employees but also the provision of housing in Forfar.
“We are prepared to take the risk at a time when other companies have run for cover. We are committed both to the the early development and the earliest possible completion of this site.”
Mr Guild told the committee his company aims to start work at the beginning of next year, with the first completions in summer.
“We are proud to be in the final stages of a £20 million development in Kirriemuir and welcome the challenge of providing 209 houses in Forfar.”
Mr Guild, whose company has been selling 50 homes a year through the recession, added: “This is not a planning consent to sit in a land bank it’s a consent now to provide houses and safeguard jobs.
“Our funding is in place and we are ready to go. We also have 30 families in Forfar waiting to purchase a house on this development. Wester Restenneth represents a £40 million development within the local community.”
The housing will be a mix of single, one-and-a-half- and two-storey homes, with substantial open space within the site.
It will take vehicular access from two points on the Montrose Road, with pedestrian access to the north leading to Old Brechin Road and the nearby Whitehills health centre and primary school.
Forfar councillor John Rymer said: “This has been a very difficult site over the years with many problems and I congratulate the developer for sticking with it and getting on with it.”
One issue remains to be ironed out in relation to a right of access over land which is often used by lorries offloading building material for a firm and discussions will continue to resolve that.