Plans for a housing development in the heart of a conservation village overlooking Loch Leven split councillors.
They had been asked to approve the part demolition of the 125-year-old Lomond Country Inn in Kinnesswood, a change of use of the building to become a house and the erection of four houses at the site off Main Street in the village.
A local resident, Fergus Torrance, addressed the development management committee on behalf of a number of local objectors and said , if approved, the plans would have a “major detrimental impact” on a conservation area.
He said the community would lose an important area of open space and parking and said the possibility of a community buyout should be explored.
Councillor Mike Barnacle said he remembered when the inn was a thriving concern and felt that in the right hands it could once more be an asset to the community.
The applicant, Andrew Sinclair, said that the pub trade was in a bad way and that the inn had been closed for a couple of years before he bought it three years ago.
He said a major pub chain had looked closely at it and concluded that it wasn’t viable.
He pointed out that the car park belonged to him and wasn’t a public car park and that he had not been approached by the community. Mr Sinclair said he was prepared to retain the old part of the inn as a “loss leader” for the development to go ahead.
Planning officials told the committee although the planned houses were quite large they were down a slope which it was felt mitigated the impact on the village.
Councillor Tom Gray moved approval saying the developer had “gone the extra mile” in retaining the hotel building and he described it as a “modest and pleasing development”.
Councillor Dave Cuthbert moved refusal on the grounds of the size of the buildings, the impact on a conservation area and that part of it was out with the settlement.
By a vote of seven to four the committee approved the application.
