Milnathort residents have hit out at proposals to build new homes in the town after the plans were published while they were away on holiday.
Locals say the timing of the Springfield Properties application has restricted their ability to comment on the application to build 67 new homes.
They also believe the submission – which Perth and Kinross Council planners received on March 30 and published on April 9 – breaks rules against consulting with communities during major breaks.
Springfield Properties want to build 59 houses and 8 flats on farmland at Pitdownies on the western edge of the town.
A Milnathort Community Council spokeswoman said the Local Development Plan had the land zoned for only 40 houses.
“There is a dramatic increase in the number of properties to be built,” she said.
“We are concerned that the planning documentation was sent out during the Easter vacation when many people impacted by the development would be on holiday.”
She said guidelines stated that consultations should avoid major holidays as community involvement “relies mostly on voluntary effort.”
“The timing is unfortunate as it restricts the opportunity for residents and the community to comment,” she said.
“In addition the planning documents were not received by the community council until after the April meeting and therefore will not appear in the widely read Kinross Newsletter in time for residents to make known their concerns to Perth and Kinross Council.”
Local Liberal Democrat councillor Willie Robertson said the new houses could lead to traffic problems, as well as additional pressure on public services.
He said: “There is a great deal of concern about this latest application at Pitdownies.
“All the traffic from this development will have to funnel down Westerloan in Milnathort which is already a major bottleneck.
“The developer is planning to use the quiet cul-de-sacs, Manse Road and Curlers Crescent, to access their site. This is likely to have a major impact on the quality of life of local residents in all these streets. Likewise people are worried about health service and education provision.”
A council spokesperson said planning officers were required to comply with the timescales set out in national planning legislation following the receipt of a planning application.
“We make every effort to ensure that the consultation period for any application does not coincide with major holidays and we apologise that it was unavoidable in this case,” she added.
Nobody at Springfield Properties was available to comment.
