Plans resurface on old Scone tram depot site

Oct 16 2009 by Andrew Welsh, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

AMENDMENTS to a controversial plan to build flats on the site of a former Perthshire tram depot were unveiled yesterday.

Perthshire Housing Association is seeking the go-ahead from the local authority to demolish disused premises on Scone’s Perth Road and erect 10 ‘affordable’ homes in its place.

The proposals are a scaled down version of an earlier 13-flat scheme at the 0.1-hectare site that was presented to Perth and Kinross Council earlier this year.

But planners deemed PHA’s previous draft to be excessive in scale and out of character for the village and called for it to be ditched.

Residents sent in 20 letters objecting to the development of the project.

They cited concerns that included road safety and the potential loss of trees the area.

In his appraisal of the previous proposals, the council’s development quality manager Nick Brian admitted that affordable housing was in high demand.

He notes there have been limits on new houses being built.

“Within the Scone area a large number of private housing has been erected over the last 10 years, the majority as part of the Balgarvie Farm site,” he said.

“The number of affordable houses either coming forward as planning applications or actually being built has been limited.

“This has resulted in high levels of need for affordable housing being unmet.”