Plans have come forward for nearly 50 new homes on a former Forfar market garden beside the town’s cemetery.
Angus Council sold the Lour Road site last year to Edinburgh-based affordable housing developer Cullross.
The 3.5 acres of land is beside Forfar Day Care Centre and the former Beech Hill House care home.
It is also bounded by Newmonthill graveyard.
But already locals say the development could destroy the area’s natural beauty.
What is planned?
Cullross say they aim to create a “contemporary, modest” development appropriate to its setting.
There will be a mix of two-three and four-bedroom homes, ranging from one to three storeys.
Those will include semi-detached homes and colony-style three-storey housing.
The site access would be off Lour Road beside Trust Housing’s retirement housing complex.
And a separate planning application is due to come forward for a boarded-up two-storey house on the site.
Site history
The council declared it surplus to requirements back in 2013.
In January 2017, an offer of £380,000 was accepted from another developer.
However, the deal was dependent on planning permission being granted and it never went ahead.
Once the planning issues were resolved it went back on the market.
The council received five offers and agreed to sell to Cullross.
The firm was responsible for the housing conversion of Arbroath’s former Baltic Mill.
And it is currently building nearly 120 homes at Dundee waterfront for Hillcrest Housing Association.
Local reaction
Lour Road resident Kate McLaren fears the area won’t cope with the extra traffic.
“I do not object to the idea of new houses in general but this location will not work as the main access road to the site cannot deal with the increased traffic,” she said.
“Accessing the site from another location could possibly work but using Lour Road is completely impractical.
“The removal of so many mature trees is also upsetting when this area has so much wildlife.”
And she says a possible extension of Forfar cemetery could lead to more trees being chopped down and “completely destroy the whole area”.
Flooding problems
Another local, Jenny Logan, has highlighted the drainage problems which affect Lour Road.
It is a storm troublespot and the council recently installed extra drainage to try to prevent water from Balmashanner Hill running down Lour Road and flooding the town centre.
She said: “This is an area of natural woodland and full of wildlife.
“It is clear that the drainage from Lour Road is insufficient given ongoing works.
“Also this particular area is that of a retirement and residential area for vulnerable people in their retirement.
“I cannot imagine how the increase in traffic can be accommodated as well as parking.”
Angus planners have set a deadline of late February for a decision on the plan.
