Scores of residents have objected to plans for new housing in east Perthshire.
Construction firm GS Brown has battled for more than a decade to build homes across six-and-a-half acres of vacant farming land on the southern edge of Rattray.
An earlier bid for 60 houses at the same site, off Honeyberry Crescent, was rejected by councillors in 2012 but the company secured consent for a similar plan last year.
The firm has returned with detailed proposals for 58 houses, claiming the project will “improve the visual and amenity effects of the neighbourhood.”
Agents have told planning officers that GS Brown has improved the overall layout of the site and enhanced amenities. They said the streets had been designed to “discourage car dominance”.
However, the planning application has attracted 40 objections, mainly from people living on the edge of the site.
Residents claim the new estate, directly opposite a busy road, could pose a safety risk for schoolchildren.
There are also concerns the area is already congested, and further housebuilding could lead to problems for drivers and emergency services.
There are worries about a knock-on effect from other housing developments, including Springfield Properties’ £29 million project – 217 homes – off Glenalmond Road, which won consent in 2017.
One local said: “It is outrageous to even consider this latest application for this part of Rattray when planning permission has already been given to huge developments that are impacting on traffic and the school.”
GS Brown has said several new pathways would be created to connect the new estate with neighbouring sites.
In papers lodged with Perth and Kinross Council, a spokesman said movement would flow to and from High Street, via Honeyberry Crescent and Drive, and “can help encourage safer routes to school”.
The Blairgowrie area is in the midst of a property boom. Last year, developer Stewart Milne won consent for 117 homes across 14 acres of land off Maple Place, despite scores of objections.
A further 400 properties are planned as part of the West Park development. Last week, proposals were submitted for the first phase of the scheme, which involves a new retail park.
