Three homes proposed above Dundee railway embankment

The plot, which backs directly onto a steep railway embankment, currently contains a dilapidated garage structure and otherwise unused ground bordered by mature trees to the south.

Although the site has previously been earmarked for commercial use, the latest applicant argues that housing represents a more suitable fit for the predominantly residential surroundings.

For nearly two decades, the land has been the subject of repeated attempts to deliver a Class 3 restaurant development. These ranged from single-storey proposals to larger two-storey schemes, with mixed outcomes.

After reviewing this history, the applicant concluded that a residential scheme would be more appropriate and more deliverable, given the site’s context and physical constraints.

The new plans set out three three-bedroom detached houses positioned behind a newly constructed stone boundary wall. The first home would rise directly from the retained concrete substructure of the former garage, which is to be reclad in natural stone to integrate it with the wider development.

Crucially, no construction is proposed on the steeply sloping embankment to the south. This area, currently lined with mature trees, will remain untouched to preserve the natural buffer between the homes and the railway line.

To enhance the ecological value of the site, the architects propose transforming the most challenging sloped areas into a wildflower meadow. This open, planted zone is intended to promote biodiversity while avoiding intrusive engineering works on the embankment.

In their design statement, Block Nine Architects emphasised the light-touch approach: “No development is proposed on the steeply sloping embankment to the south of the site, maintaining the existing tree boundary to the railway line boundary. We propose on the most sloped sections of the site to be a large open area, planted as a wildflower meadow to help promote biodiversity within the site.”