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Planning in principle granted for 550 home Aberdeen development

April 28 2014

Planning in principle granted for 550 home Aberdeen development
Optimised Environments have secured planning permission in principle for the creation of 550 homes and a replacement primary school at Oldfold Farm, Aberdeen.

Arranged around a mixed use local centre the scheme will act as an extension of the existing suburb of Milltimber, providing new shops, cafes, a nursery, office space and community facilities.

Six distinct residential areas will be arranged around this, delivered in phases from 2015.

Planning convener councillor Ramsay Milne said: "This development will make a significant contribution to meeting the city's housing needs and I hope that the developer will be bringing forward the detailed applications so that the scheduled build can keep pace with the target in the Aberdeen Local Development Plan."

The scheme follows in the wake of a public consultation on separate plans for a 3,000 home master plan at Countesswells.
A new primary school would be built opposite a shared space civic area to the north of Binhghill Park
A new primary school would be built opposite a shared space civic area to the north of Binhghill Park
A new public park will be created as part of the development
A new public park will be created as part of the development

8 Comments

Jim
#1 Posted by Jim on 28 Apr 2014 at 13:51 PM
That must be some of the most uninspiring and grim attempt at making a visualisation I've seen, even for the usual grim and uninspiring standards of Aberdeen/shire!
brian
#2 Posted by brian on 28 Apr 2014 at 23:56 PM
The comments by Jim are most certainly apt in that the visualisations are predictable, sad and offensive. The true scandal is that the Planning Authorities involved are clearly Not Fit For Purpose. It is the unique combination of greedy visually illiterate housebuilders with Planning Authorities who regularly fail to assert for meaningful standards. With such low standards pertaining we should not hold our breath for improvements to emerge.
Ian Nairn Jr
#3 Posted by Ian Nairn Jr on 29 Apr 2014 at 08:50 AM
Brian

Planning Officers do what they can with the resources they have. If developments of this size and quality are being approved it is the Scottish Government and their policies/standards that should be tackled. Blame the generals, not the footsoldiers!
neil
#4 Posted by neil on 29 Apr 2014 at 13:08 PM
What is more to the point is this is planning in principle - why are visualisations required at all?
ravy davy
#5 Posted by ravy davy on 29 Apr 2014 at 13:58 PM
Ian,

civil servants always have excuses eh?
boaby wan
#6 Posted by boaby wan on 30 Apr 2014 at 08:51 AM
Ian Nairn Jr - Really? you don't think that some planning officers are terrible at implementing local area planning policies?
In my experience, every planning officer has their own personal slant on the policy - which makes it very much the responsibility of those with the power to issue the approvals, what we need is a more consistent implementation of the policies that exist first, rather than letting money and (uneducated) councillors influence the decision making.
Developments like these are too often approved to "help local housing needs" and no consideration is given to the actual design of them - planning departments should make developers work harder, much harder when designing green field settlements - you can see the aspiration here is to put standard (horrible) house types in the middle of a plot on some slightly curved streets.
Hopefully in the detailed application they will have to significantly up their game in terms of the product on offer and urban design, but I have no doubt the likelihood is the "town centre" aspect of this will disappear in place of additional residential units - or will be the last phase of development and never quite happen...
Ian Nairn Jr
#7 Posted by Ian Nairn Jr on 30 Apr 2014 at 09:12 AM
Boaby - what you say can be correct, but I doubt one renegade planning officer would be solely responsible for approval of 550 homes and a primary school. I'll happily blame a planning officer for an ugly house or bad extension, but this is on a different scale.
boaby wan
#8 Posted by boaby wan on 30 Apr 2014 at 09:20 AM
the problem is that the "renegade planning officer" would be the one telling them to go back to the drawing board and come back with something decent!!

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