A PUBLIC hearing is to be held to decide the fate of plans for up to 140 new family homes in Cardross.

Argyll and Bute Council planning officials had recommended Avant Homes’ plans be approved in principle, despite objections from village residents – but not without a discretionary hearing of the authority’s planning committee.

Members of the planning, protective services and licensing committee agreed last week to hold a hearing to determine the application.

The date and venue of that hearing will be announced in due course.

Twenty Cardross residents have objected to the proposed development, most of them citing concerns over the scale of the development and access to the site.

One objector, Amanda Murray, complained that the preferred access route to the site, along Darleith Road, would be unable to cope with the increase in traffic.

Ms Murray told the council: “Darleith Road is neither a workable nor appropriate access route.

“Many locals enjoy running, walking, walking their dogs and horse-riding along this lane and these leisure activities will all be negatively impacted by any increase in traffic on this road.

“The idea of up to three hundred more cars driving up this lane every day is preposterous and the opportunity to widen this lane extremely difficult.

“The impact on the A814 through Cardross is also unworkable and unsustainable.”

Another Cardross resident, Scott Elliott, said; “The village has already expanded significantly in recent years. The proposal to further develop the village is not in the interests of the current inhabitants.

“There is no evidence that there is need for these houses.”

Argyll and Bute Council’s roads department has not objected to the plans in principle, but has asked for conditions including traffic calming in Darleith Road and on the A814 in the event of permission being granted.

The company’s plans were considered by the authority’s planning committee at a meeting in Lochgilphead on August 17.

In her report on the application, Argyll and Bute planning officer Sandra Davies recommend that permission be approved – but not before the committee holds a discretionary local hearing to examine the proposals.

Avant Homes’ statement in support of the application proposes a development of “approximately 140 residential units”, 35 of which would be designated as ‘affordable’.

Construction is expected to take between four and five years if permission is granted.

Seventy of the homes would be built in the first phase of the development, between 2016 and 2018, with the second phase of the build following immediately afterwards.