Fears that an Amazon distribution hub could be planned for Errol have been allayed as councillors approved the new unit.
Perth and Kinross Council accepted Morris Leslie Group’s planning application for a storage and distribution unit on land 100 metres north west of Valleyfield Farm.
The existing yard area currently accommodates a number of modern industrial storage sheds with associated parking and delivery space.
But a 36% increase in size from a previously accepted proposal raised concerns that an Amazon-type business could operate on the land.
Councillor Dave Cuthbert (Independent) told the planning and placemaking committee: “This is a facility that stores goods and has them distributed depending on nature of business.
“So it could be a warehouse like an Amazon.”
The latest scheme has a footprint of 60m by 20m, compared to 43m by 20m in the plan accepted in 2015.
In both proposals the height is 8.5m.
Council officer Kristian Smith said: “I would doubt that Amazon would occupy a property of this size but it could be used for storage and distribution.”
Community council ‘extremely concerned’
Five objections were raised, including from Errol Community Council.
The main concerns were visual and landscape impact, loss of open space, traffic generation and flood risk.
Community council secretary Gordon Miller wrote: “ECC is extremely concerned with the increased, creeping industrialisation of the Errol community area – and the wider Carse of Gowrie – which is primarily a rural farming landscape.”
But the previously accepted application meant councillors were powerless to turn this one down.
‘Long history of light industrial use’
The new building is proposed to be finished in green profiled metal cladding with a concrete block work basecourse.
An existing landscape strip that wraps around the site has been included within the site boundaries.
An officer report said: “The site has not been used for farming purposes for a number of years and has a long and well-established history of light industrial use, which this proposal would expand.”
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