Falkirk Council: Delay for plans for 400 homes in Bo'ness

Head of planning, Ian Dryden, told members of Falkirk Council’s planning committee that concerns had been raised about the capacity of an existing field drain on the site near Crawfield Road.

Given that the planning application had been called in by Councillor David Aitchison due to concerns over flooding on the site, members agreed to postpone the discussion until the next meeting.

Mr Dryden said that would allow the matter to be assessed against SEPA guidance.

The site on farmland near Crawfield Road, Bo’ness, was originally rejected by Falkirk councillors but a Scottish Government-appointed Reporter overruled that decision when it was included in the council’s latest Local Development Plan.

The developers are hoping to build more than 400 new homes on the site, south of Bo’ness fire station, with 229 in the first phase.

The committee will also be asked to grant planning permission in principle to the second phase, which will include more housing as well as potential commercial and community use.

The Reporter’s decision means there is little they can do to stop the development going ahead.

The council is, however, expecting contributions that will mitigate any potential problems caused by the cumulative number of houses that are currently being built in the Bo’ness area.

Developers will be asked to contribute more than £1000 per unit to help the NHS cope with the impact new housing will have on local health services.

The report in front of councillors this week showed that NHS Forth Valley have confirmed that medical practices serving the Bo’ness area are reaching capacity and do not currently have capacity to serve the cumulative total of new residents from the allocated housing sites.

A developer contribution towards capacity related investment has therefore been requested at a rate of £1159 per unit.

Falkirk Council’s Children’s Services department has also said that while Bo’ness schools are anticipated to be able to met the demand, there may be pressure on local nursery places.

The applicants have therefore agreed to the request for £373,181 (£1629.61 per unit) towards nursery provision.

The application is expected to return to Falkirk Council’s planning committee on November 16.