Green light for £29m Rattray housing development

Plans for a £29 million housing estate, which will include low-cost homes aimed at helping people get on the property ladder, have been approved in Rattray.Springfield Properties has won permission to build 217 homes at its Kinloch Gardens site, off Glenalmond Road. The plan includes scope for 60 affordable housing units representing 27% of the site.The company said the move will bring quality, energy efficient homes to the area, safeguarding scores of construction jobs for several years.An application to build 217 homes on Glenalmond Road was withdrawn by Springfield from the July meeting of Perth & Kinross Council’s development management committee to allow more time for the housebuilder to work with council officials on questions raised regarding the project’s density and its possible impact on the neighbouring caravan park.Springfield Properties land manager, David Jewell, said the revised plan considered each point and was amended accordingly.According to The Courier, the proposals faced opposition from some councillors who felt that positioning all the proposed affordable housing on the edge of the site was inappropriate.Mr Jewell told members of the development management committee that business association providers prefer to have a cluster of affordable homes.Councillor Tom Gray, who backed the scheme, said the location of affordable housing was suitable for access to the local school.Construction is expected to begin before the end of this year.