A local councillor is cautiously optimistic that a proposal for 50 homes in a contentious part of Inchture will be a step forward from previous attempts to develop the site.
An informal open space on land west of Moncur Farm is designated for housing in the Perth and Kinross Council local plan.
But its close proximity to the Taypack potato packing plant to the south, the A90 to the north and Inchture Primary School playing fields to the west has attracted dozens of objections.
In 2017 a proposal for 74 homes was withdrawn and the following year an application for 66 homes was refused by the council over noise and overdevelopment.
Now GS Brown Construction has issued a proposal of application notice (PAN) outlining its plan to build 50 homes on the land.
Councillor encouraged
Bailie Alasdair Bailey, ward member for Carse of Gowrie, spoke out against previous applications on the site.
But he is encouraged to see a reduction in units suggested in the new scheme.
“I am reassured to see that the new proposal doesn’t include so many houses on the site,” he said.
“So the top corner, where there is a noise concern, will potentially be kept as a park or meadow.”
Bailie Bailey objected to Hadden Construction’s previous 74-home proposal, saying at the time that “cramming” in so many houses so close to a road would be “a bad outcome for the village”.
He also said the character of the village would have been “irreversibly altered” by the installation of a 4m acoustic fence.
Mix of private and affordable homes
GS Brown Construction says the development would comprise a mixture of private
and affordable dwellings consisting of bungalows and two-storey homes.
Its consultation document added: “An acoustic bund is to be constructed to the boundary to the A90, a SUD’s [sustainable drainage systems] pond to the south of the site and an area of biodiversity to the north.
“Pedestrian links to and through the site are to be maintained with the core path ITUR/143, enhancing connectivity to local resources.
“Vehicular access is to be from Moncur Road running through the site in a single loop.”
The company plans in-person consultation with locals ahead of submitting a formal planning application.
They have invited interested parties to an event at Inchture Village Hall on Tuesday, June 20 from 4.30pm to 7.30pm.
It is also asking for views via email on inchturepc@gsbrown.co.uk.
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