Plans for another 152 new houses in Blairgowrie are being recommended for approval next week.
Perth and Kinross Council planners are backing a bid from Persimmon Homes to build on a site west of Blairgowrie Cottage Hospital.
That’s despite the application attracting 96 objections from locals.
Persimmon had originally applied to build 171 homes at the site off the Perth Road.
It reduced the number to 152 after feedback from residents.
But objectors have also raised concerns about flood risk, road safety and the impact on services in the Perthshire town.
Critics fear Persimmon Homes’ impact on Blairgowrie services
Persimmon says it is planning a mix of high-quality, energy-efficient homes, from two to five bedrooms, on the Blairgowrie site.
Its community benefit statement says it will contribute almost £1m to support local schools.
And the firm says its development will have a positive impact on the area’s flood resilience.
The estate is part of the wider Westpark development, unveiled in 2018, which promised 400 new homes, a primary school, supermarket and offices across 70 acres of fields and woodland on the outskirts of the town.
Blairgowrie Community Council is among the 96 objectors to the Persimmon Homes plans.
It says local services are already over-stretched, with patients waiting weeks, and even months, for medical and dental appointments.
“One glance at the proposal is enough to show that the plans are totally out of character with the surrounding area,” it adds.
But planners are recommending councillors approve the application when the planning and placemaking committee meets on Wednesday December 11.
Call for halt to housebuilding
A local councillor called for a block on further housebuilding in Blairgowrie in the autumn.
Conservative Bob Brawn said the town deserved a “chance to breathe”.
He was speaking as plans for 38 new homes were approved for Rattray in September.
And he too raised concerns about the impact of the growing number of housing developments on NHS and dental surgeries.
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