Falkirk Council: Go-ahead for 22 flats in Falkirk despite concerns

Members of Falkirk Council planning committee had previously rejected proposals that included the 22 flats and a separate house on the corner of King Street and Thornhill Road, Falkirk.

A new application before the committee on Wednesday removed the house, in order to increase the number of parking spaces available for two blocks of three-storey flats.

The application by G&N Homes Ltd includes land that is currently used by Thornhill Community Centre for parking but the developers have agreed to create 16 new parking spaces for the centre instead.

However, SNP councillor Iain Sinclair, who represents Falkirk North, told the meeting on Wednesday that he was still concerned that the development would mean a loss of parking for people using the community centre.

He said: “There are still significant questions over the parking issue that are currently prevalent, given the fact that it is a busy area.”

Councillor Sinclair said he feared there would be a knock-on effect for parking in general in the area, which is close to an entrance to Central Retail Park.

Falkirk Council’s roads department agreed that the development could have an impact on parking in the area although the number of parking spaces met all the requirements of council policies.

Bonnybridge Labour councillor Jack Redmond said that he was minded to grant due to the urgent local need for social housing.

“We really need this urgently. People are emailing me every day to say they are struggling,” he said.

Councillors noted that the new application is no longer for 100 per cent social housing as there is no social landlord signed up for the project as yet. However, the aspiration is still to provide affordable housing and discussions with the developer will be ongoing.

A legal agreement with the council will mean that the developers commit to providing at least 15 per cent of the homes must be affordable housing.

Councillors heard that refusing the application could leave the council open to an appeal which they might have to foot the bill for.

Several councillors were concerned at the effect of construction works while the flats were being built, given how busy the street is.

The proposal was agreed with conditions that include no work should be done without permission between March and September to protect nesting birds.

There will also be an ‘informative’ asking the developer to carefully discuss with the council how to lessen the impact for residents while construction work takes place.

Mr Sinclair formally noted his strong concerns about the loss of parking for the community centre.