Plans welcomed for new village featuring homes, hotel, pub and school

Plans including a new primary school, hotel, pub and residential development for a village outside Oban have been welcomed by councillors.

The proposals by the Link Group for land west of Dunstaffnage Farm in Dunbeg also include a new roundabout to be built on the A85 trunk road.

The plans are currently at the pre-application notice stage, meaning that no formal planning application has yet been made and no comments can currently be submitted by the public.

The proposals were discussed at a meeting of Argyll and Bute Council’s planning, protective services and licensing committee on Wednesday.

More than 600 houses planned by the applicant feature in a masterplan for the village, which has previously been approved.

Independent councillor Kieron Green said: “I really welcome these plans being put forward. It is something which has certainly been raised in previous work carried out in Dunbeg.

“There are plans in place to hopefully ensure any traffic would be located as far from properties as possible.

“I would hope that a roundabout can be in place before any works to ensure the impact on the community is as low as possible.”

Independent councillor Donnie MacMillan added: “I heartily agree with what councillor Green has said. There are tremendous bonuses, with a new primary school and road remodelling, which is badly needed.”

A report by a council planning officer said: “The site is a mixture of primarily south-facing hillside and outcrops, undulating land and lower flat land nearer the A85 which is thought to have some peat deposits within it, particularly in respect of the area of land identified for the commercial uses and access road next to the proposed ‘halfway’ roundabout.

“The land associated with the overall site proposals generally forms a more open and visible feature in the landscape when viewed from the A85 than phase three and therefore landscape assimilation appears more challenging.

“As well as facing onto the A85 for extensive open stretches of the road, the proposed development sites are also closer to the road.”

By local democracy reporter Andrew Galloway