A proposal for two luxury homes near Invergowrie was rejected due to road safety fears and potential loss of trees
Invergowrie: So, there was this plan to build two fancy homes in the Sidlaws, but it got shot down. The local council was worried about road safety, and honestly, who can blame them?
They took a trip to the site at Flocklones and decided it just wasn’t safe enough. The councillors were not keen on the idea of cutting down trees to improve visibility, which they thought still wouldn’t be great.
Right now, there are already ten houses in that area, just west of Benvie. But back in September, the council said no to the new homes without even a big meeting. They felt it was outside the development zone and would mess with some good farmland.
Neighbors were not happy either. They raised concerns about the roads being in bad shape and how more houses would mean more traffic. One neighbor pointed out that the roads are unsafe for people walking or biking since there are no footpaths or speed limits.
Andrew and Russell Bain, the applicants, tried to appeal the decision. The councilors checked out the site before their meeting this week. They learned that a lot of trees would need to go to make the road safer, but even then, visibility would still be a problem.
Local councillor Heather Doran said the site visit was eye-opening. She agreed with the officers’ concerns about safety. She mentioned that while some other property accesses aren’t great, that doesn’t mean they should approve new ones that are just as bad.
Committee chairman Bill Duff added that he didn’t see the land as agricultural, but road safety was the main issue for him. In the end, the committee unanimously decided to stick with the refusal.
