Today marks ”D-day” for the future of Pitlochry’s ”picture postcard” town centre, residents have been warned.
All responses to Upland Developments’ proposals to create a 52-bedroom budget hotel and supermarket complex on Atholl Road must be submitted to the local planning department by this afternoon.
The deadline had to be extended by more than a week after a council administrative blunder left many campaigners thinking they had triumphed in opposing the plans.
After receiving what he deemed a ”confusing” letter at the start of the month stating that the application to demolish Bank House and the former Gregg’s bakery at the site had been withdrawn, one savvy resident contacted Perth and Kinross Council to inquire.
He says he was initially told that he no longer needed to object but, following The Courier’s intervention, officials confirmed that the correspondence in fact related to Upland’s previous submission dropped in 2011.
A council spokesman stated on April 6: ”In practice in such a situation, the council will usually write to all who have commented on previous applications to confirm their withdrawal before anything is issued to advise that a new or revised plan has been submitted.
”However, the timing of these letters is entirely dependent on when we receive written confirmation of the applicant’s intentions.”
The spokesman said new letters had been issued to all concerned to ”clarify” the situation but some homeowners received these too late to make the original cut-off date last Wednesday.
Even with the extra leeway, the man, who asked not to be named, is concerned fewer objections will have been lodged.
”Perth and Kinross’s planning department is unfit for purpose. You cannot make such mistakes at times like this,” he said.
Chairman of Pitlochry Conservation Society Jim Tyrell reiterated his fellow resident’s view, saying: ”There has been total confusion. Surely it would have been simple to put the date and reference number of the application on the letter, or make it plain that it was a previous application, not the current one?”
Mr Tyrell, who owns a guest house, added: ”Some of those planning to put forward their views did not do it after they received the first letter.
”We tried to quickly notify everyone of the mistake but there were some people away on holiday. I do not believe we are seeing true democracy here.”
All previous attempts by the Aviemore-based firm to begin work in the town have foundered, with plans being withdrawn before they could be discussed by the council’s development control committee.
In the new design statement submitted to planners, detailed drawings show how the company hopes to win support by increasing the size of a proposed public area and creating ”appropriate frontage” which were flagged up as necessary.