Residents have expressed anger at a lack of consultation over plans for a controversial village to be built on the outskirts of Perth.
Once complete, the Almond Valley site will see 1,300 homes along with a primary school and leisure facilities built on land between Huntingtowerfield and Ruthvenfield.
Kenny Simpson, chair of Methven and District Community Council, claimed there has been no contact at all from developers behind the Almond Valley proposal, which received planning permission, in principle, in November last year.
At that time a 650-page legal agreement was agreed between Perth and Kinross Council and the Pilkington Trust and Stewart Milne, ended a long-running saga that has been mooted for two decades.
The history of Almond Valley has seen a public inquiry, a Court of Session hearing with Perth and Kinross Council knocking back the plan in 2004 and 2011. The local authority then removed the proposal from the local development plan in 2012.
Matters took a dramatic twist in 2013, when the Scottish Government decided that Almond Valley should be incorporated into the council’s adopted local plan.
However, the council rejected the plan in 2016 which led the Pilkington Trust to appeal this to the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government Reporter allowed this appeal on condition that the developers include landscaping and buffers to “reduce” any impact the Almond Valley village has on established housing or commercial areas.
But Mr Simpson claims there has been no consultation on detailed plans which will be submitted by the developers.
He said: “The Methven and District Community Council have not been consulted in any of the proposed plans so far, but look forward to discussions so the interests of the local community can be taken into account.
“This will ensure the best for the area, the residents and the future.”
Alastair Wood, head of planning (Scotland) with Savills, said: “The site owners, the Pilkington Trust and Stuart Milne Group Limited, are continuing to draw up their detailed plans for housing at Almond Valley which are based upon the planning permission granted last year.
“Detailed submissions are likely to be submitted to Perth and Kinross Council by the end of this year. We will be liaising with all parties before any work commences, which is expected to be later in 2019.”
