Perthshire North MSP, John Swinney, has added his voice to the debate surrounding a proposal that could see 700 new homes build in Scone.

Following a number of objections from local residents to proposals to build an initial 100 new homes on the Northern edge of the town, Mr Swinney attended a specially constituted public meeting, in January, that had been arranged for local residents to learn more about the plans. His Westminster colleague, Pete Wishart MP, attended a similar event the following week due to high demand to attend the initial meeting.

The deadline for submissions on the planning application closes on Friday 3 February. Mr Swinney has added his voice to the debate with his own submission to the consultation, following representations from a number of people in the local community,

Commenting, he said:

“The housing application in Scone has sparked vigorous debate within the community. I have previously met with representatives of Scone and District Community Council to discuss this matter and have raised a number of concerns directly with Perth and Kinross Council.

“There are significant concerns surrounding this application and I hope the local authority will agree to my offer to facilitate a discussion between their representatives, and those of the community council, in order to help resolve some of the issues that have arisen. I am particularly aware of concerns that have been raised by some in the community regarding the timing of any housing developments, and the timing of the development of the Cross Tay Link Road.

“Of course, a number of other issues including the impact that new houses could have on air quality in the area, local drainage and local services including the local school and doctor’s surgery must also be carefully considered by the Council during the progress of the application. I hope the community’s concerns will be taken into due consideration as it progresses.”

Mr Swinney’s comments follow a dispute regarding the construction of the Cross Tay Link Road, and whether the proposed construction of the new homes in Scone was to commence when the CTLR project was “constructed”, or “committed”.

The Local Development Plan that was submitted for consultation originally stated that the CTLR required to be “constructed”, whilst the final version that was unanimously approved by the Council on 18 December 2013 stated that the project needed to be “committed”.

Commenting further, Mr Swinney said:

“It is very disappointing that this matter continues to cause such a significant dispute and it is something that I would hope could be resolved by means of a discussion between Perth and Kinross Council and Scone and District Community Council. I have previously offered to facilitate such a discussion and I have re-emphasised this offer in my most recent correspondence to the local authority.”