Kirkwood Homes had previous applications for the Bonnyton Farm site refused by Aberdeenshire Council in 2018 and 2019. 

Councillors were presented with an amended housing application earlier this month, which they refused once more due to road safety concerns.

The Scottish Government has now approved the plans, subject to a series of conditions. 

The reporter at Holyrood assigned to the case said: “I allow the appeal and grant planning permission subject to 19 conditions.

“Prior to the submission of the planning application the appellant prepared a masterplan for the site. This included several options for reinstating the Ingleside junction.

“Advice from the council’s transportation officials was that option 3 was potentially deliverable. However the council’s Formartine Area Committee declined to approve the masterplan as they considered that it did not demonstrate that the access to the site could be delivered to a suitable standard. A revised masterplan was prepared which narrowed down the options for the reinstated junction. Again the committee was not satisfied, and asked for other alternatives to be considered.

“The council refused the application, taking the view that the proposals to reopen the Ingleside junction would negatively impact upon road safety, lead to congestion and cause a loss of amenity to the centre of the village. Consequently, the proposal was judged contrary to local development policy RD1 providing suitable services.

“Clearly, traffic levels on Breckview and Croftland would increase as a result of the development. This may be noticeable for residents, but the overall volumes of traffic generated by a development of this scale would be fairly modest.”

Allan Rae, land director at Kirkwood Homes, promised to work with local residents moving forward.

He told the Press & Journal: “We were naturally disappointed that the application, despite being recommended for approval by Aberdeenshire Council officers, and fully compliant with the current Local Development Plan and the Masterplan, was previously refused at committee. We are therefore pleased that the appeal has been upheld.

“We do though appreciate the points that were raised by the local community previously, particularly the concerns raised about the reopening of Ingleside.”