Kilwinning: Keepmoat Homes in bid to build 85 homes

The 85-home Keepmoat Homes development is the third application of its kind to be submitted for the town.

Back in October 2022, a 426-house Persimmon Homes development was approved by North Ayrshire Council - which is to be completed in the next 10 years in the West Byrehill area.

While in February of this year, CCG Homes applied to build 115 properties in vacant land just off Nethermains Road. This application is still pending consideration.

This latest application was submitted by Iceni Projects on behalf of the developer earlier this week, and would see the home created on vacant greenspace on land to the north of Hazeldene Park and west of the B778.

The site of the planned development. (Image: Street View)

The development is discussed in more detail within the planning application, and design and access statement document prepared by Oliver and Robb Architects (ORA) who were comissioned by the applicant to do so.

The proposals incorporate a range of detached and semi-detached house types.

Of the 85 homes: 55 will be semi-detached three-bedroom homes; seven will be detached three-bed properties; 22 will be detached four-bedroomed houses and there is to be one semi-detached four-bedroomed home.

A total of 215 parking spaces will be created for use within the development with both private driveways and communal parking courtyards.

The application also discusses how the land, which is comprised of three fields, has been llocated for residential development within the adopted North Ayrshire Council Local Development Plan.

A number of pre-application consultations were carried out prior to submission of the plans including a flood risk assessment, enviromental impacts survey, noise impact assessment, a transport assessment, an archaeological assessment and public consultation.

It was found that the site was not at risk of flooding and can be connected to an existing drainage network to deal with any surface water.

Bats and hedgehogs were found to habitate the land, which was also considered suitable for birds nesting.

To combat the loss of greenspace, it was recommended that existing hedgregrowth is reatined where possible, there is to be vegetation planting and species-rich grassland or flower meadows are to be created in the open public spaces.

It was also found that the proposed development area has no obvious archaeological sensitivity.

Access to the site is to be provided by a simple priority T-junction from the B778 and a road assessment concluded that the proposed development would not be expected to hace a significant impact in terms of sustainable traval and road safety.

While noise was not expected to be an issue, though the properties neighbouring the B778 are expected to be exposed to greater noise pollution than other plots. A greater ventilation and glazing strategy is to implemented for these properties.

A concept image of what the development would look like. (Image: Keepmoat Homes)

Keepmoat Homes have been in discussion with North Ayrshire Council regarding the development since May of 2021 - and since then have held two community consultation before submitting their application.

Due to Covid restrictions, the first consultation was held online in January-March of 2022, though only six feedback forms were recieved.

Of the repsonses, 100 per cent either disapproved or strongly disapproved of the development and said that greenspace was highly important to them and said that they did not feel the development would benefit the local area.

As part of this consultation an online qestion and answer session was held though no community council members, local councillors or members of the public took part.

Due to this minimal engagement and subsequent discussion with NAC planning department a second community consultation was held at Kilwinning Library in April of this year.

At this event, five people attended and only three feedback forms were received.

Further concerns were raised at this meeting, many of which were adressed within the application, though one further point was raised that the development may have an impact on local doctors surgeries.

The application was submitted to North Ayrshire Council as planning authority earlier this week, and is pending consideration.

This can be viewed in full via the council's online planning platform, searching for reference 23/00420/PPM.

Here, the public are able to make comments on the application.