The purpose of this web page is to keep interested parties informed of the Public Local Inquiry process for a planning application at Northfield Road, Dunipace, Denny.
Update 23rd October 2008:
Summaries of the witness statements on behalf of Falkirk Council and witness statements by the local community representatives have been added to the witness statements| page.
Further documents that will be referred to at the inquiry by the representatives of the local community can be found at Community Documents|.
The core documents that Falkirk Council and the appellant, Persimmon Homes, have agreed will be referred to at the inquiry can be fount at Core Documents|.
Other documents Falkirk Council will refer to at the inquiry can be found at Falkirk Council Documents|.
The statements of case and all documents can also be viewed at the Customer Care Point, Falkirk Council One Stop Shop, Carronbank House, Carronbank Crescent, Denny.
Background
Falkirk Council decided, in December 2007, to refuse a planning application lodged by Persimmon Homes East Scotland for the erection of 55 houses and 36 flats and associated roads and infrastructure, at Northfield Road, Dunipace, Denny. A plan of the proposed site layout can be seen here (PDF, 3.6MB)|.
The reasons for the Council refusing the application were:
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The related traffic increases would be too great for the existing roads infrastructure and therefore would result in associated congestion and road safety concerns.
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The drainage proposals are inadequate to guarantee that flood water from the site would not be dispersed to other areas.
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There would be an unacceptable loss of open space.
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The incorporation of flats in the southern part of the site would be out of keeping with the character of the local area.
The report to Regulatory Committee of 13 December 2007 can be viewed here|.
The applicant, Persimmon Homes, decided to appeal| the Council's refusal of the application to the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government's Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals| has decided that the appeal should be heard by Public Local Inquiry|. The Reporter appointed to conduct the Inquiry is Richard Hickman.
A pre-inquiry meeting was held on 20 August 2008. This meeting was attended by representatives for Falkirk Council, the applicant, Carrongrove Tenants and Residents Association and Denny and District Community Council|. Members of the public who made representations to the application were also in attendance. The note of the meeting can he read here (PDF, 194KB)|.
Evidence to the Inquiry
The Public Local Inquiry process provides for the exchange of information between the relevant parties prior to the commencement of the inquiry. All written submissions and all statements of case by those parties opting to take part in the inquiry had to be lodged by 19 September 2008. All documents to be referred to by the parties taking part in the inquiry require to be lodged by 03 October 2008. All witness statements (precognitions) required to be lodged by 17 October 2008. The witness statements of the interested parties can be can be found on the Witness Statements| page.
The public local inquiry will commence at 10.00am on Monday 10 November 2008 within Dunipace Parish Church Hall, Stirling Street, Dunipace. Disabled access is available. It is expected to last 4 to 5 days. The start time is expected to be 9.30am on the following days. The morning session will finish at around 12.45pm and the afternoon sessions will commence at 1.45pm approximately, finishing at 4.45pm, unless a short extension is needed to finish a block of evidence.
The statements of case of the Appellants (Persimmon Homes), the representatives of the local Community and Falkirk Council can now be found through the "Documents" links.
Any further documents and expert statements of all the parties will be made available on this web page as they become available and the web page will be updated as required.