Dalneigh residents have lost their battle to save green space on St Valery Avenue as £2.36m housing project for 8 bungalows gets the go ahead
Dalneigh residents have lost their battle to save green space on St Valery Avenue after the south planning committee unanimously agreed that the project should go ahead.
The estimated cost of the housing development of eight bungalows - scaled back from 10 - is £2.36 million with work set to start in the next financial year and taking 12 months to complete.
Councillors were quick to reach the decision but residents had submitted a number of objections to the plan about the loss of green space between St Valery Avenue and the Caledonian Canal.
In the planning report of the now accepted plan eight semi-detached bungalows will take-up “approximately half of the area of open space which is laid to grass”.
The council’s south area planning manager Jennifer Mair said: “While the proposal will result in the reduction of the sports facility, it will not result in its loss.
“The applicant intends on providing a new singular set of goalposts within the adjacent greenspace to the south-east, which is protected from development, thus mitigating the loss of the existing set. This can be controlled by condition.”
One local, Janet Russell, said: “This area serves as a vital green space for our children's play and the enjoyment of residents. It's imperative to preserve this green space and maintain the privacy and quality of life for all residents in the area.”
Another, Tabitha Ramsden, objected on the basis of amenities, saying: “Dalneigh has NO services. No doctors, no post office, no dentist, little in the way of shops, and ONE oversubscribed school. It is over-populated and under-provided for.”
Even Sport Scotland appeared to have some reservations and requested further information on the basis that “the presence of a set of goal posts, it appears that the site is used as an informal sports pitch”.
The council should ideally demonstrate the pitch would not be affected by the development or be replaced elsewhere and that the overall playing capacity would be maintained.
