Kirkwood Homes submitted a Proposal of Application Notice (PoAN) to Aberdeenshire Council on 10th May 2022 for "Proposed Residential Development of approximately 164 houses, including 25% affordable, with Associated Infrastructure, Access, Landscaping, Drainage, SUDS and Open Space" on Land at Newbarns, Oldmeldrum. The PoAN was registered by Aberdeenshire Council on 13th May 2022 (ENQ/2022/0698) and is the first public stage in the preparation of an application for planning permission. In advance of the submission of the application, the prospective applicants, Kirkwood Homes are seeking comments on the development proposals.
A previous PoAN (ENQ/2015/0336) was submitted by William Lippe Architects in February 2015. Whilst predominately covering the same area of land, that PoAN proposed extensive housing in the northern part of the site with open space to the south. Two public events were help in the Town Hall although an application for planning permission was not subsequently submitted.
The Proposed LDP 2020 (PLDP) is material consideration in the determination of planning applications. The Planning Authority must therefore assess what weight it should have in the context of this particular application. The Proposed LDP has been subject to public scrutiny and has now been submitted for Examination by an independent Reporter. The Examination Report is due to be issued in late June 022 an in relation to the OP5 proposal, no substantive changes are anticipated. At that time there will be greater weight applied to the emerging plan, i.e. upon receipt of the Reported recommendations. Upon receipt of the Examination Report, legally Aberdeenshire Council has to resolve whether to adopt the plan within three months of receipt. Following the summer recess, the Examination report will there for be presented to the various Area Committees, Infrastructure Services Committee and Full Council between August and September 2022.
On 18th April 2022, the Aberdeenshire Local Development Plan 2017 became "out of date" in the context of Scottish Planning Policy (SSP), i.e. the plan is more than 5 years old. Whilst not ideal, this is a temporary situation until the Council decides that it is minded to adopt the LDP 2022 as modified. In the interim, the out of date plan is unlikely to result in significant departure development that could not be supported by the development plan, i.e. there is no material harm, in fact there is a benefit, in approving proposals that accord with the emerging LDP. This prospective application is one such proposal.
