A row over a horse crossing could place a massive 750 home, retail and leisure development in Ayr in jeopardy.
The Corton site to the south east of the town has been earmarked for a mixed-use development, including retail residential, office/business, retail, primary school, neighbourhood centre, footbridges and a new roundabout.
Part of the planning permission stipulates that an overbridge be built to accommodate pedestrians, cyclists and horses. That planning permission runs to April 2023.
In June 2021, the developers had sought to remove the requirement for equestrian access, with planners recommending that the matter was delegated to a council director to approve.
However, councillors did not back the recommendation, refusing the application.
This week councillors on South Ayrshire Council's Regulatory Panel were faced with an almost identical application, with planners recommending approval before councillors once again refused to budge.
The agent acting for developers Allanvale housing, Michael Westwater, said that the applicant considers the equestrian element of the bridge is not a planning requirement and that the development would not increase the number of horses attempting to cross the A77.
He added that there would be ‘significant delays’ if planning approval was not given.
Craig Iles, head of SAC planning, said that officers had recommended approval because there was no objections from the Ayrshire Roads Alliance or Transport Scotland which gave less weight to the argument.
Independent councillor Alec Clark asked Mr Iles whether the development was dependent on the building of the bridge.
Mr Iles replied that there needed to be a bridge to provide linkage between the Corton development and Ayr.
He added: “No would be the answer.”
Cllr Clark said he had hoped for more concrete information on the development’s progress to prevent approval of a ‘bridge to nowhere’ should it not go ahead.
Mr Iles suggested that the developer had to ‘line up all their ducks at the one time’. They couldn’t, for example, allow anyone to move into newly built houses if the bridges are not complete.
He talked about the history of the site, which had originally been built around a supermarket. With the supermarket ‘no longer a player’ a redesign of the development had been undertaken.
Independent councillor Brian Connolly told the meeting that safety was paramount, describing being a witness to the death of a horse in an accident in the past.
He asked: “The panel rejected the officer recommendation just over a year ago. What has changed? What materially has changed?
“From the panel’s perspective this is a safety issue, there are neighbours in that area who have a large equestrian facility and it is an area where horses try and get across the road.”
Mr Iles replied: “Nothing has changed significantly in relation to the context of it. We are being asked the question again in a different format – a standalone application.
“The view of officers took account of the decision of the panel at that point but felt on balance, justification for the requirement for equestrian access wasn’t necessarily there.
Labour councillor Ian Cavana pressed Mr Iles on the potential impact of refusal.
He said: “In layman’s language, if we don’t build this bridge, would it avert the building of Corton.”
Mr Iles responded: “It is not for myself to make that judgement call. It is for the developer to balance their books.”
Cllr Connolly indicated that the problem had been in the area for years, suggesting it had not been of a high priority for the likes of Transport Scotland.
He tabled a motion to refuse the application to remove the equestrian element of the bridge, on the basis of road safety and that horse riders fall under the category of active travel, which is promoted by SAC, and would require the access to the bridge.
This was agreed by seven votes to two.
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