Around 200 protesters gathered in one of the last greenfield sites in Oban at the weekend to object to developer’s plans to build houses.
The leafy valley, which sits between two developments in the densely populated Soroba housing area, could soon be concreted over to make way for another development.
TSL Contractors has applied to Argyll and Bute Council to build 44 houses at Lonan Drive.
There have been 50 objections from members of the public to date, including one from Oban Community Council.
Due to the high level of interest in the application, a public hearing will be held next Monday in the Corran Halls from 10.30am.
Ahead of the hearing, a large group of local people gathered in the valley to oppose the plan to build houses there.
A spokeswoman for the objectors said: “It was a good turn out, which shows the strength of feeling. This is our last green space, if it goes there is nothing left. There will be nowhere for children to play. The volume of housing in Soroba doesn’t equate to the volume of green space.”
Councillor Kieron Green has written to the planning department in support of the application. He wrote: “I recognise that there are some concerns from neighbouring properties about potential development on this site. However this location has long been designated for housing which is much needed in the Oban area. A number of local businesses as well as public services including health, education and social care have struggled with recruitment over recent years with a shortage of housing a key reason for this.”
The objectors say that Soroba is already a densely populated area and the development would increase congestion on the road.
A traffic impact assessment produced by the developers said that traffic flows generated by it would be very low and would not cause any issues.
The council’s planning department has recommended the application be approved.
However, the roads department has recently changed its recommendation to one of refusal.
The roads officers say the entrance to the site is too narrow and planning consent should be refused unless the applicant can obtain the land required for road construction.