A local resident has questioned why a new housing development in Fairlie appears to have ignored provision of a lit footpath and cycle path.
John Riddell was speaking at a recent community council meeting said: “The issue of condition 13 of planning consent required Dawn Homes to provide a lit footpath and cycle path between the development and Castlepark Gardens before the houses were occupied. That path does not exist.
“As an alternative, they have put in a short path which goes through a gate in the school fence.”
Fairlie community council chairman Rita Holmes stated that they had ‘very strongly’ been calling on North Ayrshire Council and the developer to install the footpath. She said: “We had a site visit and we said to them very strongly a footpath should be in place”
A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “Council officers have been in discussions with the developer regarding the requirements of Condition 13, which requires a footpath link to Castlepark Gardens.
“To date, the developer has installed a temporary lit footpath which links directly from the development site to the boundary of Fairlie Primary School. Discussions continue on the details of the connection into the school grounds.
“The developer is fully aware of the requirements of Condition 13 of the Planning Permission for the housing development, and officers will continue to negotiate with the developers to provide a direct connection to Castlepark Gardens.”
Martin R Egan, Managing Director of Dawn Homes Ltd, said: “The planning condition referred to was discussed and agreed with North Ayrshire Council Planning and Roads Departments and that the attached excerpt from the Roads Construction Consent satisfied this condition, with a 3m wide lit path being formed from the new housing development into the grounds of Fairlie Primary School and subsequently into Castlepark Gardens.
“With regard to a more formalised direct path into Castlepark Gardens, you will see from the ancillary plan, that the only access point to provide a footpath from the new development to Castlepark Gardens directly would mean constructing 200m of temporary footpath over undulating farmland, which does not benefit from a residential planning consent.
“I can confirm however, that Dawn Homes presently have a Planning Application Notice (PAN) lodged with North Ayrshire Council for the next phase of this development and our forthcoming planning application will include the formalised and permanent proposal for a footpath accessing from the existing development.".