Housing plan for disputed greenbelt land to be looked at by Falkirk councillors

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The latest plans to build housing on a disputed section of greenbelt land in Dennyloanhead will be looked at by Falkirk councillors next week.

The planning application is for 21 houses to be built on land to the east of 20 Bankview Terrace, Denny Road, Dennyloanhead, submitted to Falkirk Council by Barleyfield Developments Ltd.

The newest application - which is for planning permission in principle - replaces a plan to build 33 bungalows on the site, initially proposed as a 'retirement village'. Read more: Demolition news is 'music to the ears' of Falkirk's arts community That proposal was the subject of a pre-determination hearing last September but has since been withdrawn.As the proposed housing would be built on agricultural land - contrary to Falkirk's local development plan - a fact-finding hearing must be heard, giving the applicant and anyone opposing the plans a chance to speak.

Councillors will also have the chance to ask questions that they would like answered before making a final decision.Over the years, there have been several applications to build housing on the site but none have been successful.The site is allocated greenbelt but the applicants argue that it is overgrown scrubland that has "no agricultural and limited ecological value".The pre-determination hearing will give councillors the chance to ask for more details on issues such as road access, flooding concerns and the capacity of local services.However, no decision will be taken on the evening and the application will return to Falkirk Council's planning committee.The hearing will be held in Grangemouth Community Education Unit, Abbots Road, Grangemouth next Tuesday, May 7, at 6pm.It will be livestreamed on Falkirk Council's YouTube channel.