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Mixed use plan at Perth Airport faces construction embargo

Source: http://www.scottishconstructionnow.com

Plans to create a new housing and employment development at Perth Airport could be subject to a construction embargo, according to reports.The Morris Leslie Group has lodged proposals for the development on the edge of the Scone aerodrome.Although details about the size of the project are unclear, the land has been allocated for 50 houses as part of Perth and Kinross Council’s Local Development Plan (LDP).Members of the local authority’s development management committee are expected to approve the application in principal when it meets this week, but The Courier has reported that a condition on the scheme could state that no work can begin until the long-awaited Cross Tay Link Road (CTLR) was “committed”.This means work on the new multi-million-pound bridge, which aims to link Scone to the A9, must have started before the Perth Airport plan can begin.Planners want a similar restriction on separate plans to build 700 homes at Scone North.In his report, interim planning officer Nick Brian said that the embargo would not affect the employment element of the plan.He said that the scheme would pump nearly £300,000 into the local economy.Scone and District Community Council said the plan should not go ahead until the bridge is built. In a letter to planners, the group highlighted a recent statement by Dr Drew Walker, director of public health for NHS Tayside.Meanwhile, a separate application by Morris Leslie to convert an old antiques centre at the airport into flats has been rejected.Council officers said the building should instead be kept for employment use.