Plans for a major new housing development in one of Scotland’s most famous national parks have been given the go-ahead.
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority has approved proposals for 65 homes on a 6.77-hectare site north of Gartness Road in Drymen.
The development by Springfield M&M Homes will include 43 properties for the open market and 22 affordable homes.
Plans also include an extension to the existing public car park off Stirling Road, new public toilets and recycling facilities, as well as landscaping and improvements intended to increase biodiversity and provide better access and recreation opportunities.
The National Park Authority’s Planning and Access Committee unanimously approved the application. The site had previously been identified as suitable for housing.
The latest scheme represents a reduction from an earlier permission for 88 homes on the site. Springfield subsequently brought forward the smaller 65-home development, including a mixture of cottage flats and detached, semi-detached and terraced houses.
There had been opposition to the development, with eight objections initially submitted before amendments to the plans reduced the number of outstanding objections to one.
Drymen Community Council supported the development but had expressed disappointment over the loss of 12 proposed low-cost home ownership properties from earlier versions of the scheme.
Stirling Council also highlighted that the 22 affordable properties represent around a third of the development, below the National Park’s policy requirement for 50 per cent affordable housing in developments of this type.
Claire Chapman, chair of the National Park Authority’s Planning and Access Committee, said the development would provide a “much-needed boost to local housing availability”.
She said: “The approval of this significant housing development on land that has been identified for housing for many years is a positive step forward for the local community and the wider area.
“This permission will deliver a multitude of benefits which extend beyond a much-needed boost to local housing availability.
“Permission for this application took into consideration local sensitivities and the need to deliver positive outcomes without placing pressure on local services, infrastructure, the surrounding landscape and biodiversity of the area.”
Landscape architects Brindley Associates are involved in the project, with proposals including native planting and an underground sustainable drainage system.