The people of Forfar have grasped the opportunity to air their views on the town’s largest housing development in a decade.
A good number of people went to a consultation event staged by Guild Homes for their 230-house scheme at Western Restenneth, sandwiched between the Brechin and Montrose roads on the east of Forfar.
The 20-hectare site has a complex and lengthy planning past, but is already allocated for housing in the local development plan on the basis of 100 houses up to 2011 and a further 150 homes post-2011.
In late 2008, builders Gladedale won permission for 100 homes in the first phase of their planned development of the site but the site contract has now moved to the new applicants, who intend to begin work on site next year.
At Saturday’s event in Forfar, Guild Homes managing director Mark Guild said the aim was to build 40 homes a year in a six-year plan and, despite the gloom and doom predictions over the state of the housing market, keen interest has already been expressed in the development.
“There has not been a large development like this in Forfar for a number of years and we already have reservations for this site,” he said.
“The current allocations are for 100 houses up to 2011 and 150 after that, with 100 houses approved under the previous application. Because we are so close to 2011 we have put together a plan for 230 homes in total, slightly lower than the local plan allocation.”
He added, “This public consultation is part of the application process and we have been very encouraged by the number of people who have come out to make comment on it. We will evaluate what they say, the application will go in in the coming months and we will hope for an early decision to allow us to be on site next summer.
The firm is involved in a major project in Kirriemuir and it is running ahead of schedule.
“We expected that to be a five-year programme and we think we will conclude it in around three and a half,” Mr Guild said. “We have developed that project to fit the market and that is what we aim to do in Forfar.
“With what is happening in the market at present this Forfar development will be on a scale probably unprecedented in Scotland, but we are confident it is the right project for us.”