HOUSING developers have succeeded in an appeal against the refusal of plans to build two houses on a farm near Helensburgh.

Rainheath Limited was initially refused planning permission by Argyll and Bute Council for its development on greenbelt land near Camis Eskan, at the east end of the town.

Its appeal against the decision was also recommended to be thrown out at a meeting of the area’s local review body (LRB) in January.

But that process was instead continued, and when the LRB met again last week, Rainheath’s appeal was upheld.

Planning permission had initially been given for the conversion of a barn at the site in 2007, but that permission has expired and the barn been demolished.

The minutes of the LRB’s meeting said: “It is now proposed to rebuild the barn that previously occupied the site, and which had previous planning permission to be converted to two dwellings.

“The original stone will be used to face the external walls of the replacement building and the roof will be covered in natural slate.

“In visual terms there will be no material difference between the development that was approved in 2007, and that which is now being proposed.

“The new building, subject of this appeal, will be identical in every material respect to the previously approved conversion, and the erection of the proposed building will in effect ‘complete’ the Camis Eskan Farm development.

“As such it will be an improvement on the current situation both visually and in terms of amenity.

“It will remove the semi-derelict nature of the site, it will not impact or undermine the open character or function of the greenbelt and constitutes a justified rounding off what was a traditional farm steading.”

The councillors on the LRB were chair Rory Colville (South Kintyre), Audrey Forrest (Dunoon) and Roddy McCuish (Oban South and the Isles).

Due to governance regulations, no councillor can sit on a local review body adjudicating on developments taking place in their own ward, hence the lack of Helensburgh and Lomond members on the group.

Two applications to build houses on the site, the first of those in 2015, had been refused by council officials.

The second set of plans was supported by Helensburgh Community Council last year.

A council planning document issued for the initial January appeal said: “There is no information contained in the planning or building standards history which provides mitigation or justification for proceeding with both demolition and unauthorised development contrary to the terms of the planning permission to convert the existing agricultural building into two dwellings.

“On the basis of development plan policy and other material considerations there is no justification for two houses at this location and the appeal should be dismissed.”

In a submission for the January meeting, Michael Hyde of Mike Hyde Planning Associates, on behalf of the applicant, had said: “To grant planning permission for a development that in almost every respect would be identical to that previously approved in 2007 would, whilst a ‘minor departure’ from the provisions of the development plan, not be either unreasonable or inappropriate.”