Controversial plans for 32 new homes in Elderslie have been withdrawn, but only for now.
Robertson Homes put forward plans earlier this year for a roughly triangular site off Auchenlodment Road. It withdrew the planning application last week and says it will lodge it again once the roads serving the site have been looked at again.
A company spokesperson said: "Working with the council, we have agreed to withdraw the application in order that a further review of the roads infrastructure for the proposed development can be undertaken. Once this is complete, we will be resubmitting the application. Should consent be granted, we remain committed to working with the community to integrate the new residents into the neighbourhood."
What was proposed
The plans were for three, four, five and six-bedroom family houses of two and two-and-a-half storeys. The developer's planning statement described the design as a "contemporary interpretation of traditional building style" meant to sit comfortably alongside the existing streets of Elderslie and Johnstone.
Strong local opposition
Dozens of residents objected, along with local councillors and Elderslie Community Council.
One Balmoral Road resident said the new houses would be too tall, too bulky and too close to the boundary, leaving neighbours feeling "hemmed in" and losing sunlight and daylight.
The community council said the proposal was in "clear and significant conflict" with local and national planning policy. It listed concerns over housing need, sustainable transport, climate, biodiversity, open space, infrastructure, flood risk and the character of the landscape.
What happens next
Once Robertson Homes resubmits, the application is expected to go to Renfrewshire Council's planning and climate change policy board for a decision. Residents will be able to comment on it again then.
Image: Auchenlodment Road. Photo: Steven Brown, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.