Dunblane Development Trust - General News

Community View - September 2004

SOME YOU WIN, SOME YOU LOSE!!

A saying that we are all familiar with and one that we can often relate to. When it comes to Planning matters the Community Council often has to be philosophical about the ones we lose and feel satisfaction from those that we win. However, recently we have had to cope with some real extremes.

On the good news front, the Reporter who conducted a lengthy and complex Public Inquiry into the Local Plan just before last Christmas has published his recommendations and, in all respects relating to Dunblane, he is supporting the Local Plan as currently written. This is an excellent reward for all our efforts to try and ensure that no changes were approved. The developers at the Inquiry tried to secure the following changes: release land in the countryside to the East of the town for additional housing, change the countryside boundary around Ryland Lodge to create additional land for house building, change the countryside boundary around Highfields for more housing, extend the site at Anchorscross to provide for more than the 50 houses planned on this land and change the designation of land to the North of the existing Barbush housing from business development land to housing. Although this is good news in that we are successfully curtailing further major housing developments while we try and get the infrastructure improved through developments in schools, health care, parking, etc., we must accept that housing developments will continue and, no doubt, we will be faced with more pressures to release new land for building when the Stirling Structure Plan and the Local Plan are updated again over the next few years.

In addition to pressures to release more new land for house building, we will continue to get applications for house building on infill and brown field sites throughout Dunblane. One of these has brought us one of the biggest disappointments we have had for some time and that has been the application to build 15 housing units in two blocks of three storey flats on land in Kilbryde Crescent .

This application was opposed by a very large number of Dunblane residents, the whole of the Community Council and both of the two Dunblane Councillors but the Planning Officer recommended approval. We attended the meeting of the Stirling Council Planning Panel where we and the local residents presented our objections. The Panel were persuaded by the objections and rejected the application. The objections were based upon logic, common sense and local knowledge and not any sort of frivolous resistance to change as such. Indeed it was clear from local discussions that a development of a smaller number of housing units, designed in a manner that was properly sympathetic with the locality in which the development sits would be acceptable. We thought that we had won.

However, in current law, a developer has the right to appeal against planning decisions that he does not like and an appeal was lodged with the Scottish Executive. A Reporter was appointed to make an independent assessment and much to our extreme disappointment, surprise and anger, he has approved the application. The law does not allow any right of appeal against the Reporter’s decision, so unless we could find that the law has been broken in some way during the process of this Inquiry, there is nothing that we can do about it and the development will go ahead.

Simply put, the Dunblane Community Councillors were appalled at the decision and feel that a gross injustice has been served on the local community. Adverse local effects will result from 15 additional housing units in this style of building on a site of this size, particularly in terms of road congestion and visual impacts. We know this and there is nothing we can now do about it. Terrible precedents are easily set from developments like this and the possible broader impacts on the character and the infrastructure of Dunblane are even more frightening for us. We cannot allow situations like this to arise without strong challenges and that is what we intend to keep doing.

Various consultations are currently underway between Stirling Council and Community Councils on the Third Party Right of Appeal and the devolvement of more powers to communities. We are currently making a very big effort in Dunblane to establish an improved community identity, develop civic pride and achieve an improved attitude towards self-help. We have worked extremely hard to build a stronger Community Council and an effective Development Trust, all based on unpaid volunteers. Decisions that go against the wishes of local communities, taken by people away from the locality can have very damaging effects and undermine such efforts. It is our community and in particular those that are trying so hard to make things better that will have to pick up the pieces. It is just so unfair.

Mike Seal.

The Dunblane web has been set up to provide information and support for locals and visitors alike.

We are always looking to update and add any relevant information that the Dunblane community would benefit from being included in this site.

If you have a club, group, Organisation, Local business or any news, or up and Coming event then please let us Know!!!

We have put a lot of time, effort and resources into building this web site. We would appreciate any input that you can offer or suggest any suitable links to improve this site.

Contact Us