A DECISION by planners to refuse a new five-bedroom house at a secluded site on the edge of Greenock has been overturned by councillors.
The proposed property will replace a house destroyed by fire at Whinhill Lodge, Glenbrae Road. Officials had said the site should be treated as green belt but Inverclyde’s local review body gave permission after the applicant appealed. Councillors had gone on a visit to the site before making its decision.
Councillor Stephen McCabe said: “The site visit was very helpful. It confirmed that clearly there had been properties on that site previously.”
Inverclyde planning officials refused the application in September stating: “Although the applicant advises that the site previously had a house on it prior to fire damage, given the length of time which has passed since the house was demolished, residential use is considered to be abandoned as the site has been cleared of buildings for a number of years.
“The application must therefore be considered as a new build dwellinghouse in the green belt. It should be noted that the applicant was requested during the processing of this application to provide justification for a house within the green belt to allow consideration to be given to the suitability of the development. No response has been forthcoming.”
However their report also pointed out that the site and surrounding land is being designated for up to 100 houses in the council’s proposed Local Development Plan, but this has not been approved by Scottish Ministers yet. As such the proposal was considered on the basis that the land is green belt.
A statement submitted with the planning application explained: “The design proposals seek to deliver a high quality, one-and-a-half storey detached dwelling offering modern and bright living accommodation.”
