Plans for 260 new homes near Kilmarnock set to be approved

Plans for a major housing development on the edge of Kilmarnock are set to be approved, subject to conditions.

A report due before East Ayrshire Council’s planning committee on April 24 recommends granting planning permission in principle for a residential development at Buntonhill, Fenwick Road, Kilmaurs.

The proposal, submitted by Hallam Land Management, relates to a site of around 10.4 hectares on the north-west boundary of Kilmarnock.

The land is currently used for grazing and is identified in the council’s local development plan as a site designated for housing.

Planning officers say the development could deliver approximately 260 homes, based on indicative layouts and supporting documents submitted with the application.

The application is classed as a “major development” and must therefore be determined by the planning committee.

Committee members are being asked to approve the plans in principle, with conditions including the agreement of affordable housing provision and developer contributions towards education infrastructure before any final consent is issued.

Access to the site would be taken from the east, linking into an existing spine road within the nearby Northcraigs development.

The report notes that a high-pressure gas pipeline runs north to south through the site, requiring significant stand-off distances.

As a result, a large section of open space is proposed within the layout, with housing positioned on either side of the pipeline corridor.

Plans also include structural landscaping, open space provision and a sustainable urban drainage system in the south-west corner of the site.

As this is an application ‘in principle’ no detailed house designs are included at this stage.

Instead, if approved, developers would have the go-ahead to develop more detailed plans, which would then have to receive further approval by the planning committee.

The site forms part of a wider masterplanned expansion area identified in the local development plan.