Fife Council approve house on Seaside Place in Aberdour

The level of opposition meant local resident Jordan Wilkie's application had to be determined by the west and central planning committee.

There was also 12 letters in support of his proposals to build a home on a gap site at 27 Seaside Place, next to the entrance to the golf club and in the village's conservation area.

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Committee convener, Councillor David Barratt, said: "I'm aware of the planning background and I know the applicant has listened to the concerns and made appropriate changes.

"The overall design is high quality and agreeing it is probably the right decision."

The new house will be built on a gap site next to Aberdour Golf Club. (Image: Google Maps)

Mr Wilkie, of High Street, submitted plans for a house with single storey and two storey sections, a double garage and driveway with a new vehicle access to be formed through a 3.5 metre opening in the existing boundary wall.

There is a red oak tree on the site - "quite a rare species" that the council insisted should be retained - which led him to change the drawings and "move the property back three metres".

Previous plans to build a house on the site were approved in March 2009, February 2014, November 2016 and September 2017 but none of them progressed.

Concerns raised about Mr Wilkie's proposals included overshadowing, loss of privacy and daylight, road safety during the construction phase, the height, scale and design of the house, drainage and the size of the garden falling short of the recommended plot ratio.

Those in support said the plans were an improvement on the previously approved designs for the site, as it would have a smaller footprint, the house would be distanced further from neighbouring properties and it would complement other homes on the street.

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They argued that it will fill an empty plot and improve the look of the area by getting rid of a "derelict eyesore".

Cllr Dave Dempsey said it "seems slightly perverse" that the golf club, despite sharing a boundary with the application site, did not receive neighbour notification.

The committee was told the "discrepancy" was possibly due to the process requiring all properties within 20 metres to receive notification, while the clubhouse was "quite a distance away".

The committee unanimously approved the application, subject to conditions.