A football group’s final hope for building a sports centre in Dundee has been dashed after their appeal to overturn a planning refusal was knocked back.
Active Soccer took their case to the Scottish Government after the city council blocked proposals for the facility on Baldovie Industrial Estate.
But the appeal was dismissed, with planning permission refused again due to the location being safeguarded for “industrial and allied uses.”
In his decision summary, Rob Huntley, a reporter appointed by the Scottish Ministers, said: “Having regard to the provisions of the development plan the main issue in this appeal is the effect of the proposed development on the safeguarding of employment land and on the location of leisure uses and in the city.
“Policy five of the Local Development Plan (LPD), directs leisure development sequentially towards the city and district centres, followed by locations within existing leisure parks, and at Douglasfield and Camperdown, and to support redevelopment at the Stack, a leisure and retail park at Harefield Road, Dundee.
“The appeal site is not within any of these locations.
“Overall, I find that the proposed development would conflict with policies three and five of the LDP, which seek to safeguard the land for industrial and allied uses, and to apply a sequential approach to the location of development for leisure purposes, respectively.
“The appellant maintains that planning permissions have, in recent times, been granted by the council for leisure and recreation developments in locations that are, it suggests, also in conflict with the criteria of LDP policies 3 and 5.
“Although I acknowledge the desirability for consistency in decision making, each application for planning permission is required to be determined on its own merits.”
The proposals included building an indoor football centre, complete with five 3G football pitches and a multi-sport pitch.
Dundee and Dundee United football clubs expressed support for the plans, which would have brought 30 jobs to Dundee according to the applicant.