Ambitious plans for a massive expansion of Perthshire’s biggest town are poised for approval, despite widespread opposition from locals.
The multi-million-pound masterplan will involve building 400 new homes, a primary school, supermarket and offices across 70 acres of fields and woodland on the outskirts of Blairgowrie.
Developers say the Westpark project will provide much needed housing — including affordable homes — and create scores of jobs.
However, the scheme has come up against a backlash from residents who argue it could harm tourism and cause chaos on the roads.
Now, planning officers have given their backing to the project and will urge councillors to give it the go-ahead at their meeting next week.
Among the 78 people who have lodged formal objections is retired high court judge Sir William Macpherson of Cluny, who stays at nearby Newton Castle.
In his letter to planning chiefs, he said: “Such an extension to the town is both undesirable and unnecessary.”
Sir Macpherson, who famously led an inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, added: “The plan involves a major intrusion onto the farmlands that it would eliminate, thus invading the wild life and ‘green’ aspect of the approach to Blairgowrie from the Perth road.”
Concerns have also been raised about the development’s impact on the Ardblair Medical Practice.
Dr Andrew Buist said: “This is likely to mean approximately 1000 new residents in Blairgowrie, who would need to be accommodated between the two general medical practices in the town.
“I cannot speak for Strathmore Surgery, but the impact of 1000 new patients on the Ardblair practice would be such that it would be difficult to manage that size of influx without further development of the practice and a negative impact on the current patient list.”
However, the project has won crucial backing from planning officers and could be approved at Wednesday’s meeting of the planning and development management committee.
In her report to members, interim development quality manager Anne Condliffe said transport chiefs are happy with an analysis submitted by developers, which shows only a “minimal” increase in traffic.
“This would not have a significant detrimental effect on traffic queues or journey times, with the largest increase in queue lengths in the peak times
predicted to be an extra five cars and journey times in the PM peak predicted to
increase by 12 seconds,” she said.
She added that it would deliver a welcome boost to the local economy, with a substantial number of jobs during the construction phase.
“The impact of the proposed retail and business development is likely to be significant, as it will provide job opportunities and will… reduce expenditure leakage to Perth and Dundee,” Ms Condliffe said.
The plans, put forward by business consortium Westpark Developments, were first mooted four years ago.
