Plans To Be Submitted For New Homes in Aberdour| Property PR

A renowned homebuilder is to lodge proposals for a new development in Aberdour. Property PR

CALA Homes is seeking to establish Planning Permission in Principle (PPiP) for the development, which includes a 25 per cent on-site provision of affordable homes in the highly desirable Fife village.

It comes following the Examination of Fife Council’s Local Development Plan (LDP) in which the independent Reporter deemed the plan to have a shortfall of more than 5,000 homes in the Dunfermline and West Fife area alone.

The Council’s 2016 Housing Land Audit also confirms a shortfall of 4,986 homes in the five year effective housing land supply in this area.

Policy in the new LDP, which the Council has resolved to adopt, requires that to make up for the significant shortage of homes, appropriate proposals – in and around towns and villages in the areas where shortfalls exist – should be supported.

The Reporter also strongly refuted claims made in representations that the local infrastructure in Aberdour could not support new homes, listing 13 points in his conclusion as to why land in the village should be allocated for new housing.

Steven Cooper, Planning Manager at CALA Homes (East), said: “There is a pressing need for new homes across Fife, including Aberdour.

“If approved, our development would represent approximately a 10% increase in the housing supply in the village, a sustainable figure in keeping with the character of Aberdour.”

A public exhibition in 2016 was attended by around 200 residents, allowing the developer to highlight initial intentions for a site in the village and to allow the public to discuss proposals and engage with the firm ahead of the submission of a potential planning application.

Steven added: “The proposal seeks to address feedback received at the consultation stage, and the layout has been amended to incorporate vistas across the site to Inchcolm Island and Abbey, as well as the Aberdour House Obelisk, which are important local features.

“Despite there being a vocal and organised anti-development group in the village, we received a strong recurring message throughout our consultation that the village is in real need of more economically active families to support trades and local shops.

“Up to now it has proven extremely difficult for young people in the village to remain and set-up home given the low number of homes coming to the market.

“To this end, we did receive a number of approaches from people wanting to buy a new home, who could not currently purchase in the village because of a lack of supply.”

CALA Homes proposals are for new homes on land to the south of Main Street on the Eastern periphery of the village.

Vehicular access will be taken off the A921 via a t-junction arrangement. The proposals incorporate links to existing footpath and cycle routes as well as extensive new greenspace and landscaping, to complement the existing landscape setting.

CALA Homes first expressed an interest in developing at Aberdour Main Street around four years ago, supported at that time by Fife Council planning officials.

CALA Homes is hoping that its new proposals will set out the principle of development and be approved at a local level.