COUNCILLORS are to hold a review hearing over plans to build a house on land close to a farm near Helensburgh after the application was rejected by officials.

Argyll and Bute Council has convened a 'local review body' to hear the appeal against refusal of the plans for a site south-west of Letrault farm in Rhu.

Planning offers from the authority refused the application in September, saying that the existing private access road already serves more than five properties.

Officials also cited the site's location within the green belt as a reason for refusing the application for a two-storey, three-bedroom property - a reason the applicant's agent describes as "untenable".

A handling report on the initial application said: “The proposal would seek to add an additional property off the private road without the ability to upgrade the private track to an adoptable standard.

“This is not consistent with the provisions of policies which seek to allow a maximum of five units off of a private access without the need to bring the road up to an adoptable standard.

“Furthermore, this proposal seeks to build a new dwellinghouse on land located within the greenbelt. This is not consistent with the provisions of policies which presume against small-scale housing development in the greenbelt except for very limited and specific categories of countryside based development.”

However, agents Cameron Planning have hit back in a document produced for the meeting, saying: “The greenbelt reason for refusal is untenable. Under the adopted 2015 Local Development Plan (LDP) the application site is half within the settlement and half within the greenbelt.

"The boundary divides a field; it does not follow any physical boundary or feature.

“The second reason for refusal is in our view a misinterpretation of the council’s supplementary guidance. The roads officer, in their application consultation response, has not followed the requirements set out in policy and has therefore misapplied the policy.

“Unfortunately, misinterpretation of roads standards in the Helensburgh area is something that has been evident recently, as seen for example in the recent Planning Protective Services and Licencing (PPSL) committee on November 17 relating to existing private access arrangements at West Clyde Street.

“In that scenario, councillors clarified the roads standards by questioning the stated roads officer’s position and ultimately overruled, correctly upholding policy and granting permission.

“We respectfully request a similar examination and review of roads standards in our own application, as the case evidently rests on interpretation of existing standards.”

The review body of three councillors will meet on Wednesday, February 9. It will comprise chair Rory Colville (Liberal Democrat, South Kintyre), Audrey Forrest (SNP, Dunoon) and Graham Hardie (Liberal Democrat, Helensburgh Central).

 

The November 17 decision referred to by the planning agents was to approve an application for a parking courtyard on West Clyde Street, which had been recommended for refusal due to visibility concerns.