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Strathtay Housing: Local Concerns

Some residents of Strathtay are up in arms that new housing developments are scheduled to disturb their peace and quiet. Nothing on this scale has happened to the village in a hundred years.

Mr Struan Robertson, owner of Pitcastle Estates, has commenced selling off portions of his land in the Strath for building houses. This may not disrupt the pheasant shooting up the hill. But it could easily mean that the rural character of the village turns into a piece of suburbia.

The first field to come forward for a Planning Application for three houses is the 0.6Ha field to the NE of Dalraioch, towards the west end of the village. The plans have been presented by Grovebury Management of Inverness, houses designed by Keppie Associates of Perth.

Residents of the village had been led to expect that one house would be erected on this site and have been considerably disturbed to discover that three have been proposed. Not only that, but the three garages of the proposed houses with prominent pitched slate roofs stand well in front of them, and in front of the building line of the neighbouring houses. They are in no way compatible with the Local Plan which states that "new development will only be acceptable when it is compatible with the character and density of the surrounding area."

Walkways Campaign

Some of the residents have started a campaign to build walkways in the village. Walking through the village is a hazardous exercise even now because the road is exactly as it was in 1900 before the invention of the internal combustion engine, except it has been tarmaced. When two cars meet a pedestrian has to climb the nearest muddy bank.

The Weem road is unclassified and has several narrow bridges where traffic has to give way. Also the other access over the iron bridge across the Tay to the twin village of Grandtully is structurally giving cause for concern- it already has a 3 ton weight restriction. If the traffic continues to increase residents are worried that the whole infrastructure including the sewage treatment facilities will just be unable to cope.

Population Double

Some of the local population express concerns that this development will be the first of many. Plans are well advanced for a high density housing development on the opposite side of the Weem Road at Dunellan (proposed by Caledonian Trust).

If this comes to pass the population of the village could almost double, and without walkways any pedestrians are going to be in considerable danger. Many question why Perth & Kinross Council has not already thought fit to equip the village with walkways for the protection of pedestrians.

The residents want to preserve the  rural environment including, most importantly, the preservation of the red squirrel population, which once lost can never be replaced. They say they do not wish to live in suburbia.

Strathtay village was built after the Aberfeldy railway came to Grandtully in 1860. Dundee jute merchants used it as their holiday escape similar to the Glasgow merchants heading "doon the watter" for Dunoon or Tighnabruaich. It was designated as a proposed Conservation Area in the 2000 Local Plan. It is a time-capsule from 1900.