Planners kick out bid to build home on site of derelict Ayrshire cottage
A proposal to build a four bedroom house on the site of a derelict country cottage has been knocked back by planners.
The plans had sought permission for a new two-storey house on greenfield land south of Mauchline, claiming that site was actually brownfield and that they would essentially be replacing one house for another.
The site of the old cottage had been the subject of successful planning application back in 2006. However, this was approval to renovate the existing building.
Although planners acknowledged that the proposed home did include elements of traditional rural architecture, they decided that it did breach a number of policies on rural housing, sustainability, and landscape protection.
The four bedroom house and garage fell foul of planning guidelines due to its remote location, landscape impact, and failure to meet strict planning criteria.
The applicant's supporting statement argued that the existence of the old cottage meant that the new building would be a replacement for a house.
They also argued that it was a brownfield site which had been developed as a dwelling and was fully in compliance with the local development plan.
However, planners countered, saying that there was no evidence that the cottage had been lived in over the last 50 years, refuting the claim of replacing like for like.
Council planners said the proposed home would amount to 'unacceptable sporadic development' in the rural countryside, highlighting that the site did not qualify as brownfield land under East Ayrshire's Local Development Plan.
While remnants of an old cottage remain on site, there was no evidence of residential use in at least 50 years, and the footprint was far smaller than required to meet policy for brownfield redevelopment.
Though the site had previously been granted planning permission for renovation, that consent was never acted upon.
Officers said the new application was 'substantially larger' and failed to respect the original scale, thereby nullifying any weight that previous approval might carry.
Crucially, the development was judged inconsistent with East Ayrshire's climate and sustainability goals.
The site is isolated, lacks access to public transport, and would rely entirely on car use for everyday needs—contradicting national planning policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions and encouraging 20-minute neighbourhoods.
The proposed home, which would sit on a prominent hilltop site, also drew criticism for its visual impact on the rural landscape.
Despite a contemporary design that met some architectural standards, officers said the house's scale and elevated siting would 'significantly disrupt the skyline,' particularly when viewed from nearby public roads.
Concerns were also raised over potential soil disturbance and the lack of a management plan to protect undeveloped land during construction.
The site lies within a designated local landscape area, and planners said no compelling social, economic, or environmental benefit had been demonstrated to justify building in the location.
Despite this, there were no objections and other bodies, including Scottish Water, Environmental Health, and the Ayrshire Roads Alliance, raised no objections in principle, the cumulative policy breaches led to a formal refusal.
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