A bid for a development of luxury flats overlooking Carnoustie’s legendary Championship links has been thrown out.
Angus councillors dismissed an appeal over the proposal for the former Links Hotel site on Monday.
The scheme landed before the authority’s development management review committee (DMRC) after the Quattro Group challenged the council’s non-determination of their planning application.
Architects produced a design which would see the ground floor level raised more than five metres to avoid the risk of flooding.
But it was not enough to stave off official objections from environment agency Sepa and the council’s own roads department.
And DMRC members said they would not go against national planning policy which would have led to the plan being called in by the Scottish Government if they decided to give it the green light.
Long planning history
The Links Hotel – known better to many as the Glencoe Hotel – sat beside Carnoustie’s Caledonia Golf Club and directly across the road from the 18th green on the famous Open Championship venue.
The Victorian two-and-a-half storey building was demolished around 15 years ago.
A variety of proposals to redevelop the site have since come forward.
Previous plans for a development of flats were approved in 2011 and 2015.
Both permissions have lapsed.
The current developer said they re-designed the scheme to give the eight-flat development a more contemporary feel.
South-facing properties would have offered spectacular views across the course.
Official objections
Sepa opposed the scheme over a fluvial and coastal flood risk.
They told the council that if the project was approved it would be referred to Scottish Ministers.
Angus roads officers also objected, saying there needed to be flood-free access to the site.
DMRC member Brenda Durno said: “I’ve had first-hand sight of this area in a flood and it’s very scary.
“I think people would feel quite vulnerable and I can’t approve it because of that.”
Councillor Gavin Nicol said the developer’s plan to raise the ground floor level several metres was a sufficient mitigation.
“It’s a brownfield site and there have been problems in the past,” he said.
“But the flood period is usually only for a matter of hours until the high tide goes down, not days or weeks.
“I think the company has put forward a feasible plan and I’d be in favour of it.”
Committee chairman Bill Duff said he could not back the scheme in the face of “serious” Sepa and council objections.
“The applicant is making attempts to mitigate the issues, but effectively the point Sepa is making is this is a high risk site,” he said.
“That will increase the pressure on emergency services trying to access the site if there are people there in a flood.”
The appeal was rejected by the review committee.
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