Graham’s The Family Dairy has lodged an appeal to the Court of Session to overturn the decision by Scottish Ministers to refuse planning permission to redevelop Airthrey Green on the outskirts of Stirling.
The dairy, together with Mactaggart & Mickel Homes, is seeking consent to build a 600-new-home development and a dairy processing, research and development and training centre.
It says its appeal has been submitted on the grounds that the decision was not within the powers of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, and was based on irrelevant information being taken into account.
It also says ministers failed to give “proper, adequate and intelligible reasons for their decision”.
Graham’s The Family Dairy managing director, Robert Graham, said: “We believe compelling grounds exist which has culminated in our joint appeal with Mactaggart & Mickel Homes to the Court of Session.
“We are extremely disappointed by the ministers’ decision, which we maintain placed more importance on continuing to protect a failed local development plan process than supporting the delivery of much-needed homes, infrastructure and creating 500 new full-time jobs within the city of Stirling and the Scottish dairy sector and £65.3 million gross value added (GVA) per annum into the Scottish economy.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Ministers carefully considered this application and its economic and housing benefits. However, they accepted the independent planning reporter’s view that these benefits do not outweigh the loss of a significant area of sensitive greenbelt land and upheld Stirling Council’s original decision to reject the planning application.”