Building Briefs – November 23rd

Plans for a 261-house development in Lossiemouth have narrowly been given the go-ahead with restriction placed on construction traffic.

Members of Moray Council’s planning and regularly services committee approved the application from Tulloch following a four-and-a-half hour hearing at which both the company and objectors made submissions.

The application for the site at Sunbank, of the southern edge of the town, attracted more than 60 objections, mainly from people living nearby.

Many of the objections related to access to the development site via two residential cul-de-sacs – Fisher Place and Halliman Way – off Boyd Anderson Drive.

After a lengthy debate Councillor Mike McConachie, seconded by Councillor Allan Wright, moved that the application be granted but that no construction traffic be allowed to access the site via Boyd Anderson Drive and the cul-de-sacs.

Councillor Douglas Ross, seconded by Councillor Gordon McDonald, moved an amendment that the application be refused to allow the developers to resubmit proposals for access to the site to be taken off the A941and B9135 both during and after the construction phase.

The vote was tied at five-all, with committee chairman Councillor Chris Tuke using his casting vote in favour of Councillor McConachie’s motion.

Drum buys George Square office building for £5.75m

Monteith House on Glasgow’s George Square has been acquired by Drum Income Plus Reit for £5.75 million.

The deal brings the total value of purchases by the real estate investment trust (Reit) to £26 million since it was floated by property developer Drum on the London market in May.

Monteith House is a prime office development on George Square, with key tenants include VisitScotland and Skills Development Scotland. Drum said the purchase price reflects a yield of 7.6 per cent.

Scottish Government launches land use consultation

The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on the future of land use in the country.

Discussions are to take place over the next ten weeks on the draft Land Use Strategy 2016 – 2021.

The draft sets out a range of policies and proposals, including:

• How to manage natural resources, including continued use of an ecosystems approach to land use decisions.

• Developing and implementing activities to promote climate friendly farming and crofting.

• An exploration of the relationship between ownership, use and management of land including consideration of the potential advantages of a single policy statement about land.

• Encouraging regional land use partnerships to bring a range of interests together to consider land use at a local level.

All those with an interest in land use and management are invited to take part, the Scottish Government has said.

The consultation will run until 29 January 2016.

For more information, visit here.

Plan for housing and leisure developments in Perth quarry

Perth and Kinross Council is to investigate a plan to build housing in a Perth quarry.

In a bid to identify possible housing sites to accommodate homes for a rapidly growing population, the council has cast its net widely and identified some unusual options.

These will be put out for public consultation and the suggested use of the quarry, off Gleneagles Road on the edge of Perth, is for mixed residential and leisure use with suggestions including a dry ski slope, climbing walls and mountain biking tracks.

Although at an early stage, the proposal intrigued councillors who felt it was worthy of serious consideration.

In a report that was considered by councillors this week, it said that Lafarge Tarmac, who operate the quarry, had indicated that it was nearing the end of its life and they advocated its redevelopment for leisure and residential use.

Other areas identified for potential housing include land north of the Burghmuir reservoir in Perth and land to the north of Scone in the green belt.

Extra Glenrothes houses refused

Plans to almost double the size of a Glenrothes suburb have been rejected.

Councillors unanimously agreed to refuse an application for around 300 homes at Milldeans, in the town’s west end.