Christmas has come early for scores of protestors after plans for 100 homes at Leggart Brae were rejected by the city council.
Comer Group’s proposals for the site, to the very south-west of Aberdeen, had been subject to fierce local resistance – leading the big UK housebuilder to already ditch a bid for another 33 homes to the west of the plot.
In total, 121 objections were lodged with the city authority, including from Aberdeenshire Council.
A “disappointed” Brian Comer, chairman of the development firm looking to build its first homes in Scotland, told us: “The proposals provided an exciting opportunity for a sympathetic extension of the city, one that would have seen a mix of new homes carefully developed on the gateway to the Granite City.”
Leaving the door open to a possible appeal, he added: “We will carefully review the decision before deciding how to proceed.’’
City planners had recommended councillors refuse permission for the homes on the green belt land, which would have been a “significant departure” from the agreed local development plan (LDP).
However, as the site is earmarked for 150 homes in the proposed replacement LDP -currently with Scottish ministers for approval – planning convener Marie Boulton moved that the council show willingness to approve the development.
Her motion would have placed screeds of conditions on Comer Group to bring the housing scheme up to standard.
She was backed only by former Conservative Alan Donnelly, now an unaligned independent after his sexual assault conviction, seeing her motion defeated by five votes to two.
Mr Donnelly, who was stripped of his committee positions when he refused to resign after the guilty verdict, was substituting at the meeting for Depute Provost Jennifer Stewart, who is part of Mrs Boulton’s Independent Alliance and planning vice-convener.
The shamed Torry and Ferryhill member admitted – while making a case for the development – to being caught speeding on the very stretch schoolchildren would be expected to cross twice a day.
Emergency access to Leggart Brae ‘appears to go through a tree’
Council roads planners had objected, as the route into the development from a new traffic-lighted junction, would have a “detrimental impact” on traffic flows in and out of the city to the south.
A signalled access off the A92 Stonehaven to Aberdeen road would be built where there is currently a lay-by across from Fauld’s Gate in Kincorth.
Youngsters from the new homes would have been expected to cross the busy dual carriageway to get to Abbotswell School and Lochside Academy.
A 40mph zone would be extended up the hill heading out of Aberdeen around the new junction and officials said there were no particular safety issues with the new roads layout or development as a whole, even though “detailed aspects remain to be resolved”.
That is despite senior council roads engineer Scott Lynch describing plans detailing safe routes to nearby schools submitted by Comer as “just a literal drawing”, failing to adhere to the council’s usually detailed standards.
He also took issue with a pencilled-in secondary access route designed for emergency vehicles, ruled too narrow to be workable.
“It also comes in across a pedestrian path, appears to go through a tree and almost across somebody’s driveway,” he added, talking councillors through one sketch.
“At the moment it is not deemed to be acceptable, more information would be required and it would likely be moved elsewhere.”
How the 25 affordable homes were to be marketed was also “not acceptable” as they would not be run by a housing association.
While the site is earmarked for homes, planning chiefs said if it were removed – in light of the significant opposition to development – there would still be enough land zoned for housing to keep up with demand in the coming years.
Leggart Brae rejected hours after council site visit
Only one household came out to make their views known to councillors during a hastily arranged visit to the proposed site this morning.
The couple, who live at the top of Deeside Braes, only became aware of the touring council circus when the big, green bus carrying members of the planning committee rolled into their narrow street.
Councillors were briefed on the plans for the site, currently two fields full of hay bales, packed between Deeside Braes, the boundary with Aberdeenshire and the A92 Stonehaven to Aberdeen road.
“No one, especially no one with children, is crossing that road,” one of the protestors told us.
As Aberdeenshire Council, just over the other side of the Leggart Burn, officially objected to the development, Scottish ministers would have had to be notified and could have called in the plans had they been approved.
Leggart Brae rejected: Plans had ‘absolutely nothing going for them’
But the scheme never made it that far, as councillors rose empathically to throw out it.
SNP councillor Neil Copland, who had earlier taken a tumble as he clambered through a wooded area for a better vantage during the site visit, said: “This application to my mind has got absolutely nothing going for it whatsoever; I can see no saving graces.
“Officers have quite correctly assessed this and to my mind this is a perfect example of urban creep into the green belt and taking it away, needlessly, right up to the boundary with Aberdeenshire.
“These green areas are the lungs of the city and we should be doing everything we can to try and protect them.”
Liberal Democrat Martin Greig also blasted the “incomplete and inadequate” plans for having “deficiencies in so many respects”, namely access to schools and for emergency vehicles.
“I don’t think it’s the committee’s job to do what the applicant should be doing, which is to produce a ready, adequate and safe proposal for housing development,” he added.
“(Mrs Boulton’s) amendment is trying to impose some kind of idealised vision on a fundamentally inadequate proposal by correcting omissions and weaknesses.”
Usually voting with nine members, the planning committee taking the decision was reduced to seven by the end of the meeting.
Kincorth, Nigg and Cove SNP councillor Miranda Radley recused herself before proceedings were underway as it was highlighted she had previously spoken out about development of the site, potentially prejudicing herself.
Conservative Avril Mackenzie withdrew someway through the two-hour meeting.
Reduced A92 speed limit a missed opportunity, claims planning convener
By the time Mrs Boulton summed up the debate, it was clear she was on the losing side.
She said: “There is nothing new to getting to this stage of an application and things have to be added through a legal agreement at the end, it is very standard.
“The conditions were recommended by officers should there be a willingness to approve.
“Other applications such as Kingsford, on green belt, but there didn’t seem to be concerns about that so I look for a level of consistency in the way I review applications.
“While we appreciate the A92 is a road used by people coming into the city centre, we need to be serious in our intentions to get people to reconsider their speeds on all of our roads, regardless.”
