One of Tayside’s biggest housebuilders has lost no time in re-submitting plans for nearly 250 new Forfar homes.
Days after a Scottish Government dismissal of their £50 million scheme for farmland on the northern edge of the town, Guild Homes has lodged a fresh application with Angus Council.
The local firm hopes to double the size of its Strathmore Fields development between Turfbeg and Kirriemuir Road.
And revised draft plans will go on show to Forfar residents in October.
Non-determination challenge
The company appealed Angus Council’s non-determination of the Garth Farm application it lodged last year.
The site covers more than 25 hectares of prime farmland near the Forfar bypass.
It sits outside the council’s development plan.
In a ruling issued earlier this month, Scottish Ministers reporter Keith Bray refused planning permission.
He said it fell at a number of hurdles.
“When considered cumulatively, the number and nature of the shortcomings of the proposal, together with the resultant conflicts with development plan policy significantly and demonstrably outweigh the need to address a shortfall in effective housing land in the housing market area,” he said.
Guild Homes’ response
The housebuilder is confident it can address issues raised by Mr Bray in his appeal dismissal.
“The Reporter recognised the proposal adhered to many of the relevant policies and that a certain scale of development may be acceptable in this location,” the firm said.
“Angus Council, the Reporter and Guild Homes agree there is an existing shortfall in the five-year effective housing land supply.
“The Reporter concluded that ‘an additional housing site, beyond those already allocated, could help to address the shortfall in effective land supply within the sub-market area’,” said the firm.
The ruling said there was a “strong public interest in progressing new sites for new housing in West Angus.”
“However, the Reporter expressed concerns regarding specific areas namely, noise, design matters and the perceived impact on the setting of Forfar Loch,” said the firm.
“He also raised concerns with the loss of prime agricultural land but indicated those could be overcome if issues in relation to noise, design and setting were addressed.
“The proposed new application will fully address all these issues.”
A public exhibition of the plans will take place at Forfar community campus on October 20 from 3pm to 7pm.
The developer’s design team will be there to answer any questions.
Strathmore Fields, where more than 230 homes were previously approved, is adjacent to the community campus.
Design tweaks seem unlikely to allay fears of Forfar and Kirriemuir GPs, who objected to the previous proposal.
They say surgeries are struggling to cope and a large number of new homes could put patient safety at risk.
Conversation