Plans for social housing in Falkirk rejected by councillors

Plans to build 22 new affordable homes close to Falkirk town centre have once again been turned down by councillors.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Planning officials had previously rejected the application for the site on the corner of Thornhill Road and King Street – and a meeting of Falkirk Council’s planning review panel on Friday backed that decision.

While developers G & N Homes say they are hoping to build “100 per cent affordable housing,” members heard that that the company has not yet found a partner to work with to build the homes, despite extensive discussions.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Without a registered social landlord on board, the site is not currently in the council’s long term plan for social housing – and that could make it difficult to get the funding that would be required.

Developer wants to build social housing at corner of Thornhill Road and King StreetDeveloper wants to build social housing at corner of Thornhill Road and King Street
Developer wants to build social housing at corner of Thornhill Road and King Street

When the plans were first mooted, the site was included within the council’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan.

Read More
Hunt is on for cruel culprit who shot cat in Falkirk

But that was withdrawn when social landlords Link said they had not been able to reach an agreement with the developer.

The applicant’s agent, Philip Neaves, said the company was very confident that once planning permission was granted, agreement with a social landlord would be much more straightforward.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He urged councillors to approve the proposal, saying that affordable housing is badly needed in Falkirk and that a site like this – close to the town centre and shops – would be ideal.

But there were also worries about parking on busy roads that are very close to an entrance to Central Retail Park.

The developers say that the 39 spaces they have proposed will be more than enough as many households won’t have cars.

However, Falkirk’s road department insist that they are following government guidelines – and in an area where parking is already a problem they are reluctant to add more homes without ample spaces.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The development would also mean a loss of parking for people visiting Thornhill Community Centre as it currently uses some of the land for parking.

After visiting the site, members of the council’s planning review panel agreed with officers that the application should be rejected.

While the company could bring a new proposal forward, councillors said they would prefer clarity on what type of affordable housing was being proposed before granting any permission.

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism.

https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/nord/dm/FKH/V