New homes planned for Dingwall
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
DINGWALL moved a step closer to getting 150 new homes after the Ross and Cromarty area committee agreed an infrastructure investment “unlocking” the possibility of the development.
But councillors were at odds over the plans with some considering them a sop in lieu of the 470 homes earmarked for the town since 2012 while others said it was a “positive move” in a high pressure area for housing demand.
The original plan was based on the delivery of the Kinnairdie Link Road (KLR) project – expected to unleash millions in inward investment. It was due to start its final phase of construction this year but it was axed from the council’s capital programme in last year’s budget.
Then in March, funding for transport improvements in Dingwall was found to enable some housing development to take place prior to the commencement of the KLR.
A transport study and modelling work considered the impact of various levels of development in the town and improvements will include work at the Bridgend Avenue Junction and Docharty Road Junction as well as traffic signal works at Mart Road Junction. Proposals for walking and cycling improvements and traffic management measures will also be brought forward to enhance active travel facilities in the town.
Dingwall and Seaforth councillor Graham Mackenzie said: “It would be tempting to see it as a good news story for Dingwall. That is not the case. Had we been given what we were promised in an earlier iteration of the capital plan we could be releasing up to 470 houses for development instead of around 150.
"Instead the KLR was taken out of the capital plan even though the first phase of the project had already started. If Dingwall is to grow and provide the range of housing which is required, the KLR must be moved up the list of priorities. This project needs to be reinstated.”
Fellow ward councillor Angela Maclean insisted the deal was good news. She said: “We as councillors have a leadership role and it is up to us to be helping our communities to move forward and this report has examples of when officers have looked for solutions to get round some of the fact that we don’t have all the money we would like.
"Whether it is through the infrastructure road plans or capital fund we are going to try and move forward with these houses in Dingwall, because Dingwall is a pressurised area – this is a positive move because we don’t have enough houses in Dingwall.”
