A Kinross charity has applied a third time for permission to create a new warm-up and spectator area for hockey players and fans beside an artificial pitch in the town.
The last application lodged by Kinross Astro to put down hardstanding on a grassy area next to the pitch at the King George V Playing Fields was refused by Perth and Kinross Council planning officials under delegated powers as well as the Local Review Body on appeal.
Community greenspace workers recommended the application be refused after noting residents had raised objections to the charity’s proposal to remove three mature trees in order to form the new warm-up and spectator area.
Planning officials said in their report of handling removing these trees - two lime and one rowan - from a row of six would take away a visual buffer between the fields and nearby houses and this was “considered unacceptable”.
They also said they had opted not to request a tree survey from Kinross Astro on that occasion as it became clear early in the planning process they were not going to support the overall proposal.
Now the charity has applied a third time to make its desired modifications to the land and submitted a tree survey written by private consultants declaring none of the six trees which came under scrutiny last time have “high” or “moderate” retention values.
Dunfermline-based Hinshelwood Aboricultural Consultants go on to say in their report five of the six trees have only “low” retention values and recommend one of the trees be removed “for sound management reasons regardless of site proposals”.
They said: “An evaluation of the proposed development in the context of the existing site has indicated that it will not be necessary to remove any trees in order to directly accommodate the proposal and all the surveyed trees, noted and suitable for retention, will be retained in the context of the proposals and protected in accordance with current government guidance.
“However, a number of management proposals have been made including the removal of [a] rowan tree ... for purely arboricultural and safety reasons.”
Kinross Astro said in a supporting design statement: “Kinross Astro wishes to enhance the hockey provision through the creation of a multi-functional area to the west side of the pitch.
“This will form a dual use warm-up area and space for spectators, particularly improving the accessibility as the current path network is too narrow to permit wheelchairs to pass or be positioned to watch games, whilst allowing other users to pass.
“The warm-up area will increase the lifespan of the playing surface as it will take an activity off-pitch and reduce contamination of dirt and dog faeces from the grass area onto the playing surface.
“The provision of extra space for spectators will improve visitor experience and reduce compaction of the existing grass areas due to people standing on them for extended periods in bad weather.”
The application is currently the subject of a public consultation and it’s understood around six or seven households surrounding the site have been invited to submit their views on the proposal before a determination is made.
