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April 2022
Opponents criticise 'wanton ambiguity' in Otago Lane appeal confusion

Opponents criticise 'wanton ambiguity' in Otago Lane appeal confusion

April 29 2022

The tortured planning process behind efforts to build a significant apartment complex on Glasgow's Otago Lane have been enflamed again with the submission of an appeal against refusal to build 49 apartments.

In November last year planners scotched this attempt, citing the 'cumulative effect' of issues pertaining to daylight, sunlight, privacy, waste and recycling points for blocking passage of the plans.

Unperturbed Queensberry Properties with jmarchitects are attempting to reverse this decision, on the grounds that these issues can be resolved presentationally without the need for further design changes.

In their appeal the applicant explains: "It is considered that the reasons for refusal have been addressed by the submission of technical information which accompanied the planning application or could be satisfactorily addressed by a suitably worded planning condition."

Criticising the 'wanton ambiguity' of the plans in their present guise the Otago Lane Conservation Trust have been highly critical of the applicant, demanding that a fresh application is filed to provide a clearer picture of what is proposed.

Pointing to 'apparent variations' the trust notes that a number of appeal documents refer to a building which was removed from the most recent iteration of the scheme. They wrote: "This entire appeal/application for review appears to be wantonly ambiguous. For this reason alone, the committee must reject this appeal and demand that the applicant goes back to the drawing board with a new application."

Following their acquisition of the site in 2018 Queensberry Properties inherited an existing planning consent but opted to push buildings 15m back from the River Kelvin, opening up the potential for new riverside routes and viewing points to mitigate flood risk.