A developer has withdrawn an application for nearly 50 new houses bordering Forfar’s town cemetery.
In January, Edinburgh-based Cullross lodged an application with Angus Council for the former market garden site at Lour Road.
The council sold the 3.5 acres of land beside Forfar Day Care Centre to the company in 2022.
The site was declared surplus to requirements a decade ago.
Angus Council accepted a £350,000-plus offer from another developer in 2017.
But the deal was dependent on residential planning permission being granted and never went ahead.
And Cullross have now withdrawn their application for 49 affordable homes.
It comes after a flurry of objections to the scheme from nearby residents.
What did Cullross propose?
The company wanted to create a “contemporary, modest” development.
Cullross said it would be appropriate for the setting, which is bounded on two sides by Newmonthill graveyard.
They planned a mix of two, three and four-bedroom homes, ranging from one to three storeys.
The proposals included semi-detached homes and colony-style three-storey housing.
Previous Cullross projects in Angus have included the £3m housing conversion of Arbroath’s A-listed Baltic Mill.
And they are building nearly 120 homes at Dundee waterfront for Hillcrest Housing Association.
Local concerns
The application drew a number of objections.
Those included fears over the loss of mature woodland and the impact on wildlife.
Worries about noise impact from nearly 50 new houses on cemetery mourners were also raised.
And objectors highlighted concerns over possible flood risk.
During heavy storms, water pours off Balmashanner Hill and down Lour Road.
It has led to flooding in Forfar town centre.
Extra drains were installed on the street following the last flood in September.
Cullross have not yet said whether they plan to bring forward another application for the site.
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