Safety concerns remain over Muir of Ord 104-home housing plan as community signals fight is not over
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
RESIDENTS in a fast-growing Ross-shire community against a highly contentious major housing development which has just cleared a significant planning hurdle indicated this week they have "plenty of fight left".
Safety fears over the development in a village where many feel significant housing growth down the years has not been matched by vital improvements to the school, amenity areas and road infrastructure prompted a "deeply disappointed" response to a planning decision last week.
At issue is a104-home development planned by The Mackay Robertson and Fraser Partnership at Lochan Corr on Muir of Ord's Black Isle Road.
It was given planning in principle permission by the north planning applications committee last week despite significant opposition and a lukewarm reaction from ward councillors.
Muir of Ord Community Council, which has flagged concerns over the safety of pedestrians on narrow Black Isle Road, said afterwards it was "deeply disappointed". In a sharp response it stated: "Struggling to work out why we even bother. It seems that those who don’t live in our community appear to know better than us that do, they just don’t have to live with it."
Permission comes with a range of conditions which include developer contributions to improvements at the village's Tarradale Primary and Dingwall Academy, which has the biggest school roll in Ross-shire.
But the fact that the scheme was previously rejected has left "a bad taste in the mouth" of those concerned about road safety issues, said Muir of Ord Community Council chairman Frances McGruer. "You can throw up 104 houses and walk away but we are the ones who have to live with it. There's something not quite right about this. People are concerned about their children's safety. Black Isle Road is single track. You've got sections where people have to walk in single file. The fact there has not been a major accident there is by the grace of God.
"We are not accepting it. We don't feel the safety of our residents is being taken seriously."
Adding to their concerns is the sub-standard Tarradale junction close to the site on a busy stretch of Great North Road, the main route through the village. Mrs McGruer said: "You see vehicles coming to that junction and they don't know what to do." She said many feel uncomfortable about adding more traffic as they feel infrastructure to the village has not matched development down the years.
She said: "This is a very active community where people volunteer to make it a better place to live. We've taken on the village hall and the Muir Hub is successful. Tarradale Primary already has four classrooms in its playground. The last thing we want is to be taking away play areas from children. They talk about childhood obesity and the importance of space to play but there it is being taken away. It leaves you with a bit of a bad taste in your mouth. We have done a lot to help Highland Council. There seems to be a lot of taking but not much giving back."
"We've got plenty of fight left. It's not something we will sit back on."
Ward councillors Margaret Paterson and Angela Maclean both backed the planning in principle bid. Cllr Paterson admitted she was "still not 100 per cent". She said: "Muir of Ord is now the size of a small town and it used to be just a small compact village so the public are concerned that the village doesn’t have enough services for the size it has become.”
Cllr Maclean said she had raised concerns "which haven't gone away" but that a lot of work had gone into the development and she could see no reason to refuse it.
