Catrine homes: Plans to change house style on Newton Street

Applicant Simon Ash is seeking permission for alterations to the planned development of 10 homes on Newton Street.

Permission was originally granted following a meeting of the council’s local review body (LRB) in June 2023, despite concerns from council officers over the potential loss of biodiversity, with authority officials stating the proposal “is not supported by the development plan overall”.

Mr Ash had asked the LRB to make a decision after officials from the authority did not make a decision on his application, which was lodged in November 2022, by the ‘determination deadline’ in January of the following year.

The area has been the centre of numerous attempts to build new homes on the vacant land, which lies between Newton Street and the Bogend Burn, close to the Whiteflat Bridge.

The design of the proposed houses has been revised, with a new application stating that the building form, colour and scale of the proposed houses reflects the design of the existing houses in the Conservation Area (Image: Ash Architecture/East Ayrshire Council)

A separate application, also by Mr Ash, for adjoining land on the same site, was rejected by the LRB in March of this year, again following an appeal on the grounds of non-determination.

Historic applications have also included plans for 12 flats and 25 houses on a larger area, including the current development site and extending beyond it.

An application for a change of house design at the development was submitted in June, which would see a mixture of three-bedroom detached and terraced houses built on the land.

The Ayrshire Roads Alliance says that a two-metre wide footway must be developed at the front of the development, linking to the existing footway on the B713.

Street lighting will also be extended along this section of road.

The development site is located to the south of the B713, Newton Street, in Catrine. (Image: Google Street View)

A planning statement with the latest application states: "This new application resolves all the issues which were given as reasons for refusal [for previous applications].

"The application proposes a development of a form, layout and colour that takes direct reference to buildings and building groups within the Catrine conservation area which lies to the north of the site.

"The development would appear as a separate built area, clearly separated from the conservation area.

"We draw attention to the fact that the present application covers only a small part of a larger development site for which planning permission was granted for 12 flats and 25 houses in 2007.

A computer-generated image showing the street perspective of the planned development. (Image: Ash Architecture/East Ayrshire Council)

"We are at a loss to try and understand why a smaller development on a smaller site which is brownfield land was then refused in 2022.

“Nevertheless the applicant has revised the proposal in the present application to address the reasons for refusal."

In a report to the LRB’s meeting in June of last year, a council officer stated: “Almost all of the trees would require to be removed to facilitate development, and to obtain access for earth moving machinery.

“The planning statement also notes there is a previously approval for residential development on the site, however this is not supported by the public file, which has no stamped approved drawings.

“The drawings do note new trees would be planted on gardens, however, it is not considered these would compensate for the loss of the mature trees and their associated habitats.

The applicant says the revised house designs are in keeping with existing properties in the Catrine conservation area. (Image: Google Street View)

“Some mitigation planting has been proposed, but it is considered that the development as proposed would not contribute to the enhancement of biodiversity, neither would it restoring degraded habitats and not would it build or strengthening nature networks."

But despite those concerns, the four councillors on the review body - Clare Maitland, Ellen Freel, Neill Watts, Jennifer Hogg and Elaine Stewart - decided to approve the application.

A determination deadline for the new application has been set for Monday, October 7.

You can view the original application and the change of house type application online at eplanning.east-ayrshire.gov.uk.