Published: Friday, 15th September, 2006 13:36
Bid for new homes demolished
By Border Telegraph Newsroom
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A CONTROVERSIAL bid to build 150 flats on a Selkirk floodplain has failed.
Members of Scottish Borders Council’s planning committee unanimously rejected the application this week.
And several of the objectors were on hand to welcome the decision.
Elsie Gibb, who lives nearby on Cannon Street, told the Border Telegraph: “This decision will make a lot of people happy.
“There is strong feeling against this.
“We have never objected to building on the site, but we were all against the size of the development. It simply isn’t compatible for Selkirk.”
Concerns ranging from the density of the development and the height of the buildings to access and flooding problems were expressed in twenty letters of objection.
A 67-signature petition against the plans was also tabled.
Peter Smith, who also lives in neighbouring Cannon Street, has been one of the leaders of a campaign against the flats.
He told us: “In 2003 when we had the really bad flood the only way we got the floodwater away from Cannon Street was to dig up the Lingle Road field. If they were to build on the site there would be nowhere for the water to go next time.
“There has been a strong campaign against this.”
Although the 2.2hectare field is earmarked for housing under the local plan, it has attracted strong opposition from nearby residents and environmental groups.
An earlier application for 68 houses was withdrawn last December after concerns were raised by SEPA over flooding.
But the new bid, which has changed the parking arrangements and incorporated a pond to compensate the flooding, won approval from both SEPA and the council’s own planning officers.
Chief planner Alistair Lorimer told Monday’s meeting: “Parking has been moved from beneath many of the properties to a central area. The original objections from SEPA have now been removed.
“Our own flood prevention officer also feels there have been enough compensatory adjustments made.”
But the claims about flooding didn’t wash with the local councillor.
Vicky Davidson hit out at the plans. She told the meeting: “There is a strength of feeling against this in Selkirk. This is a low-lying field and the developers are trying to find a way round the flooding problem, but this is very much an over-development.
“The council’s own figures state that on a site this size, 24 units is low density, 48 is medium density and 72 is high density – where does 150 units fit into these calculations?”
And her concerns were backed up by fellow councillor David Richardson.
He said: “SEPA originally said that the whole site was at risk from flooding when we considered global warming. But it seems that since the developers moved the car parking from beneath the flats to behind them SEPA have changed their minds. Have they suddenly forgotten about global warming”?
Councillor Jock Houston raised a motion, which was seconded by Douglas Younger, against the officers’ recommendation to approve the application. The motion was unanimously backed by the members.
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