Webcast of SPAC Planning Meeting 8th August – approving 115 more houses for Lochloy estate
Here is the webcast of yesterday\’s South Planning Applications Committee (SPAC) meeting in Inverness which approved plans for Springfield to build 115 more houses on land belonging to Nairn Councillor Liz MacDonald. This will extend the Lochloy estate to the edge of Kingsteps.
The vote was tied – 5 members for and 5 against.
Cllr Gray the Chairman then used his casting vote, to approve the plans .
Of Nairn\’s 2 Councillors on this committee we understand that Cllr Fraser voted against approval, and Cllr Heggie voted in favour.
South Planning Applications Committee 8 Aug 2018 Item 6.1 Springfield Properties NA2 site Kingsteps Nairn
Badgers on the site – Yes or No ?
If you watch the webcast you will hear the Planning Officer responding to wildlife queries from Councillor Heggie and Green Councillor Pippa Hadley -He states that his understanding is that there are no live badger setts on the proposed development site.
We attach here the Badger Survey and Protection Plan which was commissioned by the developers Springfield to support this planning application
Badger Survey and Protection Plan ( no photos or maps in this googledocs version but can supply as pdf on request
We understand that this survey and plan was posted on the public e planning site with other documents supporting this Planning Application last March or April but was taken down again after only a few days. The survey maps dozens of active and disused badger setts both on and around the site with the main group of live setts identified near the burn which runs through the centre of the site .
Our understanding from this is that badgers will have to be moved off the site before building can start. This concern was raised by us and other objectors in writing in planning comments, and also during the site visit where local residents indicated the undergrowth around the burn onsite where a clan of badgers are known to live and often spotted by residents in the area.
As the Badger Survey was a required supporting document for this Application we would have expected that all SPAC members were briefed on this and supplied with a copy to inform their decision. This may not be the case and since we were familiar with the survey findings, we were extremely surprised to hear the Principal Planning Officer deny the existence of active badgers setts on the site. This clearly contradicts both the Survey and the testimony and photographs of local residents.
SPAC site visit to Lochloy and Kingsteps 8th August
On the morning of the 8th August before the SPAC meeting took place
South Planning Applications Committee members and Planning Officer made a site visit to Lochloy and Kingsteps accompanied by more than 50 local residents who turned out to protest and share their concerns re current and future pressures on local infrastructure , amenities and the natural environment if further development goes ahead. Videos of the visit and discussions can be found here
Planning Committee comes to Lochloy and Kingsteps 8 Aug 18
Nairn River Community Council 