The following letter was sent to Blairadam Community Council (c/o Margaret Traylor) on 12 April 2016 concerning the potential acquisition by the community of Land at 27a Keltybridge.
Dear Margaret
Land at 27a Keltybridge
I welcome the formation of your above company established with the wide support of the Blairadam community in order to register interest in community acquisition of the above land.
As you will be aware, I have been the elected member for the Kinross-shire ward of Perth & Kinross Council (PKC) since May 1999 and have supported the community’s interest over the above land ever since. The land was included as “village setting” in the Kinross area local plan 2004 and an appeal by a prospective developer was rejected by the Reporter in support of this zoning. At this time the community already had expressed the desire for the land to provide parking, footpath signage, visitor information and setting for the Tabernacle Community Hall. In June 2009, when making representations on the main issues report for our Local Development Plan (LDP) 2014, I maintained that this village setting area should be identified for the above community usage. In the subsequent plan, PKC stated that Keltybridge should not be expanded further at this time. The Reporter also introduced policy PM4 into our current LDP (adopted February 2014) to limit development to within settlement boundaries, so avoiding creeping settlement development. The site was removed from the settlement boundary in our current LDP but this was not objected, following assurances from PKC forward planning that the community’s future aspirations for the site would not be affected.
These assurances proved worthless when PKC’s planning department recommended approval of the current extant planning permission 13/02177/FLL for two houses, despite objections from local elected members in March 2014. The site remains undeveloped and an ugly eyesore on the edge of the most scenic part of the village. I therefore strongly support its potential acquisition by the community through registration of interest.
Yours sincerely
Cllr Michael Barnacle
Independent Member for Kinross-shire
cc Cllr Willie Robertson
Cllr Dave Cuthbert