A CONTROVERSIAL plan to build 85 houses in Symington should be refused say council planners.

A preliminary planning application for the development at Brewlands Road, was originally submitted last December. Since then 28 objections were made, with just one person backing the plan.

The village’s community council and Ayrshire Roads Alliance also lodged its objection, stating it had recent evidence of significant flooding on the site.

The reasons for the objections covered issues with planning policy, conservation area, local community and services, traffic, flooding and drainage, landscape and visual impact, pollution, natural environment and residential amenity.

One member of the public also argued that the developers report on transport access was misleading, adding that the service the village gets from public transport is ‘primitive’.

Ayrshire Roads Alliance objected, stating: “Several reference is made in the supporting documentation of how the surface water is going to be treated, proposals are to construct a SuDS bas i n a n d discharge to the existing culverted water course.

“These proposals are not acceptable to the Ayrshire Roads Alliance (ARA) as flood authority will give no consent for any new connections to this culverted system.

“In addition to this the applicant notes that a small section of the site may be at risk to flooding, the ARA has photographic records of recent significant flooding to this site.

“Development of this site will have a detrimental impact to the surface water drainage system and place properties downstream at significant risk of flooding.”

However, the developer Gladman Scotland, insist that the proposal fits into South Ayrshire Council’s local development plan and will benefit the community.

In a planning statement, it said: “The development of the site accords with the key themes of the adopted LDP, delivering a generous housing land supply to meet local needs and future demand, offering variety and choice within the land supply, minimising the impact on infrastructure, supporting local communities and avoiding competition with existing strategic allocations.

“The scale of the development means that a decision will require approval from the full council." 

South Ayrshire Council planners will advise councillors: “In all regards it is considered that the proposed development is found to be contrary to the aforementioned policy documents while Ayrshire Roads Alliance have advised that the site is at risk of flooding. The application is therefore recommended for refusal."