Developers are fighting to rescue the highly controversial Almond Valley housing plan, which was kicked out by councillors after fierce opposition from residents.
The 1,500-property estate, which has been in the pipeline for more than 20 years, was rejected when it came before Perth and Kinross Council’s development management committee on Wednesday.
The meeting was attended by about 50 objectors who argued the development – earmarked for land between Huntingtower and Ruthvenfield – would have a detrimental impact on neighbouring homes. They said surrounding settlements would be swallowed up by the development, creating a large expansion of Perth city rather than separate communities with their own identities.
There was also concern that the new homes would be at risk of flooding.
Committee members, who approved the even larger Bertha Park project, voted nine-four against the plan, but were warned by the council’s own legal team that their arguments were not competent and would likely fail at appeal.
Now the Pilkington Trust, which is behind the scheme, has confirmed it will take its case to the Scottish Government in a bid to overturn the councillors’ decision.
Spokesman for the firm Jonathan Henson said: “We are really disappointed that the councillors have turned down the application against their own legal advice, and we really see this as a missed opportunity for Perth and Kinross to embrace the wider Scottish Government initiative to tackle the shortage of homes within Scotland.
“The proposed development was going to provide 25% affordable housing and it remains our view that Perth should embrace its newly found city status and provide the necessary housing infrastructure to cater for one of Scotland’s fastest growing populations.”
The number of people living in the region is expected to soar by 24% over the next 20 years, according to the National Records of Scotland.
This makes Perth and Kinross one of the fastest growing regions in Scotland.
The Almond Valley scheme was first discussed 26 years ago. An earlier planning application was refused by the local authority in 2011 and the trust lost its appeal to the Scottish Government the following year.
However, this time round the scheme was backed by planning officers because it complied with the council’s recently adopted local development plan.
The Scottish Government’s directorate for planning and environmental appeals will decide in the coming weeks how the case will be taken forward. A public inquiry may be held to hear arguments from applicants and objectors.
