Objections to Closeburn housing development

PLANS to build four affordable homes on the edge of a small Dumfries and Galloway village have attracted significant local opposition.

The proposal has been brought forward as a community-led development initiative by Closeburn Community Council, working in partnership with Nith Valley Leaf Trust.

They want to put four houses built on a brownfield site, currently occupied by single-storey garages and outbuildings, to the west of Firmuir Avenue, Closeburn.

The homes are intended to be available to young people from the area or older residents looking for warm, affordable, cheap-to-heat accommodation.

However, 16 separate objections have been lodged with the council because local residents have concerns about parking, drainage, the height and design of the proposed buildings, and the impact on residential amenity.

The application goes before this week's planning applications committee and case officer Rachel Lightfoot has recommended it is approved.

She said: “The application seeks full planning permission for the erection of four dwellinghouses, together with a shared space to provide visitor accommodation and home-working facilities for residents.

“An annex adjoining one of the proposed two storey dwellings would be available for residents to use as guest accommodation for visiting family members or as a workspace to support home working.”

She added: “The development is considered to be acceptable given the overall scale of Closeburn, which contains around 150 houses. The delivery of housing at this scale would not have an impact on other developments or in the housing market area.”

However, objectors living in neighbouring properties are worried about the impact on residential amenity.

They argue that the nine parking spaces proposed are simply not enough, and the council’s roads officer acknowledged the revised plans may result in “some oversubscribed on-street parking”.

Concerns have also been raised about the height of the proposed buildings. Two of the four houses would be two storeys with roofspace accommodation, reaching a ridge height of approximately 8.8m — around 0.9m higher than existing neighbouring homes.

Objectors have underlined that drains in the area already block frequently and that an area of ponding exists on adjacent land during wet weather.

A community drop-in session held before the application was submitted drew 38 participants, with over 85 percent giving a neutral, positive or very positive response to the proposals.