Courtesy The Extra

By Drew Sandelands, Local Democracy Reporter

Reporter Nick Smith, appointed by the Scottish Government, dismissed Williamwood Golf Club’s bid to overturn East Renfrewshire Council’s ruling.

The club had hoped to build the homes to secure its long-term future.

East Renfrewshire’s planning committee will note the decision at a meeting today (Wednesday).

The appeal, submitted on behalf of the golf club, stated: “To help ensure the long-term sustainability of the club is secured, it is essential that planning permission is granted for residential development, and the appeal site is the only suitable land that is available.”

It said membership has been falling for 10 years, causing income to drop, and, without intervention, the club “may become unsustainable and result in closure”.

East Renfrewshire Council had ruled the proposed block of flats would be a “dominant and incongruous feature” on the street and would “dominate and overwhelm” a nearby property.

The appeal argued the flats had been “designed with a view to meeting a demand that exists for downsizing from larger properties by the substantial ageing demographic in the East Renfrewshire area”.

It disagreed with the council’s view the proposal would be “visually dominant”, citing examples of other buildings in the area with similar heights and lengths.

“It is clear the area around the appeal site accommodates a significant range of types and sizes of buildings,” the appeal stated.

“Most of which are residential, and including several larger buildings which accommodate residential flats and that have similar lengths of building frontage, and similar heights and storey numbers, particularly considering that only four modern storeys of the appeal proposal would be visible above the level of Clarkston Road.”

However, Mr Smith dismissed the appeal after carrying out a site visit.

He said designs submitted by the applicant showed “the height, width, depth and bulk of the appeal proposal compared with nearby properties”.

“These convince me the appeal proposal’s scale and massing would introduce a significant height and bulk of development into this prominent and currently open location.”

The reporter said other buildings in the area were not “directly comparable with the appeal proposal”.

He concluded: “I have found the scale and massing would not be sympathetic to the local area but instead would overwhelm it.

“Supporters of the appeal proposal ask me to recognise the sale of the site for the appeal proposal would generate money to enable the golf club to improve its facilities and sustain its long-term future.

“I do not doubt the sincerity of the golf club’s intentions. However, there is no detailed financial evidence to link sale of the land to the delivery of the intended outcomes for the golf club.”