48 new homes for Auchterarder – but A9 slip road rule means most can't be built
Muir Homes won't be allowed to construct the bulk of the properties until a controversial junction is built off the A9 at Shinafoot.
Councillors unanimously approved two Muir Homes' planning applications for the Castlemains estate at Auchterarder.
But they were told a long-standing legal agreement for the site is still in place.
It requires developers to provide a new A9 junction and sports facilities for the fast-expanding town before any more houses can be built there.
Muir Homes and Stewart Milne Homes previously won a Scottish Government appeal, permitting a single off-ramp and slip road at Shinafoot.
That decision angered local campaigners, who say it should be an on-off ramp.
And there's been no progress on the road, to the north-east of the town, since Stewart Milne's collapse.
Muir Homes submitted plans to finish the Castlemains site late last year.
It was left incomplete when Stewart Milne went bust.
One application was for 38 two to five-bedroomed houses and four two-bedroomed flats on land 40 metres north of 51 Castle Drive.
The second was for six four-bedroomed detached homes on land 90 metres north-west of Castlemains Farm Steading.
It's not covered by the Shinafoot agreement.
There were 25 letters of representation to the first application and 19 to the second.
Concerns included road safety, noise, loss of view, and privacy.
Objectors also noted that the previous obligations for the new A9 junction and playing fields have not been met.
Perth and Kinross Council officer Sean Panton told the planning committee the block on housebuilding still stands.
But he suggested the developer would likely be able to build 12 affordable units as part of the first application.
'There is an existing Section 75 legal agreement on this site which places a cap on the number of homes which can be built here until the Shinafoot junction and required sports facilities have been provided,' he said.
'Muir are aware of this requirement and will not be able to fully implement this application until such time that the legal requirements have been met.'
A Shinafoot slip road would open the door for hundreds more homes in that area.
Smaller housebuilders are still able to develop land for housing elsewhere in Auchterarder.
Muir Homes' managing director Robert Herd welcomed the decision.
'Our commitment to Auchterarder extends beyond housing,' he said.
'We are investing tens of thousands of pounds in vital local projects like the community bus, as well as safeguarding the land to the northwest of Auchterarder for sports and recreational use in the future.'
Mr Herd added: 'Muir Homes is keen to deliver these new private and affordable homes as quickly as possible to help address the current housing emergency, bringing new families to Auchterarder as well as providing new housing options for those who already live in the area.'
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