Tower Farm scheme‘needs public hearing’

That is one view said to be gaining currency among council insiders as local representatives continue to report a flood of objections to the scheme.

It’s claimed the plan submitted by Hallam Land Management will increase the area of the village by a fifth, with 140 new homes being created on green belt land at the area’s Tower Farm.

Attempting to answer some of the fears raised by the scheme, developers argue the plan would help to answer a local need for housing.

It’s also argued the proposed scheme would amount to a natural extension to the village, and that there would be no “coalescence” – a merging of one discreet community into another.

However community council and other opponents say the development is too big for the area and that the road net would struggle to contain the increased traffic it would bring.

The greenbelt status of the area is seen as a significant but not insuperable obstacle to the plan. Some objectors fear a refusal by the council would almost certainly lead to an appeal to the Scottish Government, which could take a view that would be impossible to challenge further. Councillors are reluctant to comment as they are on the planning committee and any remarks could prejudice their ability to vote on the application.

However, the level of public concern about the future 
of the village is said to 
be building pressure for a hearing.