Campaigners say they are “incredibly disappointed” a final ruling on rejected plans for a new Angus crematorium has been delayed again.
Angus councillors had been due to decide farmer Guthrie Batchelor’s appeal over the site at Burnside of Duntrune on Tuesday.
Plans for what would be the second crematorium in Angus first emerged more than two years ago.
The Friockheim family business wants to build a 120-seat crematorium with memorial garden and parking on farmland near the border with Dundee.
But there were more than 700 objections to the plan.
Planning refusal a year ago
And in January last year the proposal was knocked back by Angus planning department in a delegated decision.
Mr Batchelor appealed the outcome to the council’s development management review committee.
There was a further delay after objectors uncovered “serious flaws” in a planning report.
And in December the appeal was hit by another hold up when the review committee said they needed to carry out a site visit.
That finally took place this month.
Now, councillors want further information about the proposal’s possible conflict with Scotland’s new planning framework.
National Planning Framework 4 will set out rules which planning applications will be judged on for the next decade.
Ministers say it will bring a “fundamental change” in the way development is considered in Scotland.
Monifieth and Sidlaw councillor Heather Doran said she wanted more information about the relevant policies in NPF4, including sustainable transport, design and rural development.
The committee voted to ask for further written submissions from both council planners and the applicant on the issue.
Objectors’ frustration
Ian Robertson, who lives at nearby Duntrune House, said it was frustrating to encounter another delay.
“It is very disappointing that after all this time they have not been able to make a decision,” he said.
“If there had not been the catalogue of errors around this application this would have been determined before NPF4 became law.”
And he says opponents of the plan should be asked for their comments.
“It is also disappointing the applicant and the council have been given the chance to comment and other interested parties have not.
“I will certainly be asking the question of whether we will have that opportunity.”
Review committee chairman Bill Duff said: “I’m unhappy about the length of time this application has taken to be resolved.
“However, NPF4 is a significant material consideration.
“It would be remiss of us not to ask for additional information from the council and the applicant on NPF4.
“It’s a relatively short delay given the time this application has been in the system.”
