A landowner involved in a planning battle with Aberdeenshire Council has had a fourth planning application rejected.
The decision to block the plans for a house and garage on the Breda Estate, near Alford, was taken by members at this week’s Marr Area Committee meeting.
Landowner Hamish McLean was originally given planning permission to build 13 homes on the estate.
The development project was to enable him to restore the B-listed Breda House. A further eight properties were eventually permitted to allow him to cover further costs.
Last year, Mr McLean and his wife Lorna unveiled plans to build four houses next to a cluster of 13 properties already on the estate.
A statement on behalf of the couple said: “The McLean’s are appalled that yet again their planning applications, applications which fully conform with Aberdeenshire policy and which the planners fully endorse, have been refused.
“The spurious reasons given by Marr Area Committee for refusal are a travesty.
“The extraordinary decision to refuse will again go to appeal.
“This is yet another example of the Marr Area Committee denying constituents permissions that fall within their own espoused policy and of the committee wasting public money.”
Three of the four applications were thrown out by the committee last month, with the final application going before the councillors this week.
Despite nearly 20 objections to the plans, council officers recommended the property be approved. However councillors unanimously decided to reject the proposal.
Local resident Maureen Moates, who was at the meeting, said: “We were delighted that the application was rejected today.
“We feel that the application never should have gone through in the first place. Scottish ministers did a report to say it was an area of prime agricultural land. Marr Area Committee upheld that.”