Furious residents in Kinross-shire staged a protest and said they will “fight all the way” against a new housing development in Milnathort which received more than 160 objections.
Springfield Properties PLC wants to build 59 houses and eight flats at Pitdownies but worried residents fear “traffic chaos” with the village’s roads unable to cope with another housing development.
The primary concern among residents is access to the new Pitdownies development via a residential street off Wester Loan which is already a notorious bottleneck.
The additional traffic from the Pitdownies proposal would be coupled with another 80 house development already under construction at Pace Hill, less than half-a-mile away.
Local councillor, Willie Robertson, said he had “never seen this this type of concern ever” and residents have started their own campaign group against the proposal.
Jessica Kinloch, leader of the Pitdownies Campaign Group, said she and her 83-year-old mother-in-law, Edith Kinloch, got 150 signatures against the development in one day.
Residents also staged a protest in the town on Saturday.
Jessica, a mother-of -three, said: “It is absolutely crazy to build another 67 properties without considering alternative access to the site.
“Wester Loan is a narrow route originally used by farm vehicles and is already very congested.
“There have also been a few near-misses at the mini-roundabout at the bottom of the road.
“The original plans included two access points and now the developer is proposing only one.
“Both Pace Hill and the proposed Pitdownies development would be accessed via Wester Loan, both during the construction stage and once the properties were occupied.
“With many households now having two cars, the result would be absolute chaos.”
Jessica also claimed that amount of time that locals had to object to the proposal was cut short by a week.
She said: “They moved the date to complain up by about seven days.
“The villagers really had to time to lodge complaints about it.”
Despite Jessica’s claim, 165 people objected to Perth and Kinross Council regarding the planning application.
Willie Robertson, Liberal Democrat councillor for Kinross-shire, said developers should wait “to get things right”.
Mr Robertson said: “There’s only one road into Milnathort.
“Everthing is funnelled down that wee road and it’s a bottleneck at the bottom.
“There was a lorry stuck in it the other day.
“I’ve to the developers that we really need to have another access route.
“It’s better to wait and get things right.”
Mr Robertson and Jessica also raised concerns about the strain new housing developments were placing on local services with hundreds of homes being built nearby.
Jessica said: “Some 300 properties are being built at Lathro Farm, just outside the village, putting enormous pressure on schools and medical services.
“This latest proposal is the final straw and we are determined to fight it all the way.”
Mr Robertson added: “I have written to the planners in Perth and voiced my concerns about the ability of our education and primary health care services to cope with the volume of houses being built.
“I think we should be putting the brakes on until we know the impact that the houses currently being built are going to have.”
A spokesperson for Springfield Properties said: “We have submitted a design for this development in Milnathort which is informed by Perth and Kinross Council guidance and meets all planning requirements and legislation.
“It will deliver an attractive development, with highly energy efficient homes and appealing landscaped areas, in a location where people would like to live.
“The development will contribute to the local economy with job opportunities for local trades and suppliers.”
