Dunbeg Development Corridor
Dunbeg Phase 4
Link Group Ltd is a group of award-winning social enterprise companies serving over 15,000 customers across Scotland. This makes it one of the largest social landlords in Scotland. It works to provide affordable housing, property management, regeneration, advice, financial inclusion, and employability services. Since Link was established in 1962, is has become a leader in developing and delivering innovative homes and services for those in need. C~urb (pronounced curb) is the latest partner within the Link group of companies. In addition to delivering Link's development programme, C~urb's experienced development team also deliver development services for a number of other clients including other Registered Social Landlords. C~urb delivered over 1,000 new homes in the last year and will construct around 3,000 affordable homes in the next 5 years.
One continuing development opportunity for C~urb is an area of land north of the A85 at Dunbeg, referred to in Argyll & Bute Council's Local Development Plan, and Local Development Plan 2, as the Dunbeg Corridor. The Corridor is to play an important role in delivering mixed use development across the area, including a balance of housing, community, and commercial premises, with associated services, facilities, and infrastructure.
To date three phases of new housing have been delivered at Dunbeg by Link. The third phase, which delivered 300 new homes, was completed in 2023 so the time to start Phase 4 of development has been reached. The intention is to submit Planning Applications for Phase 4 in early 2024, and to be on site in 2025.
Concept Masterplan
Argyll & Bute Council approved a masterplan for the wider Dunbeg Corridor in 2017. Detailed planning permission was then granted for Phase 3, comprising 300 dwellings and associated development, in 2018. Phase 3 began on site in late 2018 and was completed in 2023. It is served by Kirk Road, which has been upgraded to provide a suitable access for this development.
The statutory development plan for Dunbeg is the Argyll and Bute Local Development Plan 1. This will soon be replaced by the Proposed Local Development Plan 2, which has been considered at Examination, and the findings of which are being considered by the Council. It is likely that Local Development Plan 2 will have been adopted by the time the planning applications for Dunbeg Phase 4 are being determined.
The proposed allocations in Local Development Plan 2 that apply to Dunbeg Phase 4 are:
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Housing allocation - H4007 - Dunbeg 1
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Housing allocation H4015 - Dunbeg 2
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Mixed use allocation - X4002 - Dunbeg
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Infrastructure allocation I4001, which is described as a “junction design and development road - facilitating housing, business and community facility development”
Dunbeg Phase 4 will see further new housing built, alongside a new commercial area, with sites being made available for community facilities, and possibly a park and ride facility. These will all be served from a new junction on the A85 and a new distributor road that will eventually connect with the distributor road serving Phase 3, as a continuation of Dunstaffnage Avenue.
Proposal of Application Notices (PoANs) for the various developments were validated by the Council in August 2021, and the current intention is to submit four Planning Applications, as follows:
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A Detailed Planning Application for the new junction and the first part of the new distributer road.
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An Application for Planning Permission in Principle for the Commercial Area, which will potentially include a hotel, retail (food and non-food), restaurant(s), other food and drink offerings, other local centre uses, leisure, commercial, community, and business-related uses.
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A Detailed Planning Application for the affordable housing in the Residential Area.
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An Application for Planning Permission in Principle for the private housing in the Residential Area
Other associated developments, and infrastructure, will be applied for as part of the most relevant Application. That will include new areas of green space within and around the edge of the development, protecting the most important landscape features, particularly the ancient woodland, and providing an integrated network of footpaths and cycleways based around the current core path network.
Masterplan Principles
ACCESS
New footpaths will be integrated through the housing layout, creating links to the existing core path network, existing Dunbeg Village and the coastal path.
EDGE
The housing located around the new development edge will be carefully considered to maximise the panoramic views.
The development edges will also be attentively designed to enhance and maximise long views towards the site from the surrounding locale.
ARRIVAL
The new Main Street geometry establishes the potential for a focal point at the bend in the road, which will be enhanced with carefully considered design of the public realm, to integrate footpath connections and landscaping around bespoke building designs.
THRESHOLD
The design of the housing adjacent to the new Main Street will be thoughtfully designed with active frontages, safe pedestrian routes and attractive curated spaces with integrated landscaping.
ENTRY
The residential area will be entered through woodland - the proposed new community woodland will connect through from the existing Dunbeg housing to the designated ancient woodland.
Paths Network
Paths will be built in advance of the main works to minimise disruption to the designated Core Paths. This will include a modified 5km route for the local parkrun being incorporated into the path network, to avoid the new road.
A sequencing plan will be developed that has temporary path diversions and permanent path re-routing. Proposed modifications to the Core Paths will be developed based on consultation and submitted to the Argyll and Bute Council Access Officer and subject to an approval process.
The Dunbeg Corridor Masterplan objective of linking the two Core Paths is proposed as part of this phase of development.
Path routing will avoid damage to trees and, where a path is in proximity to a tree, would include tree root protection measures.
Commercial Area
The Commercial Area has been a longstanding allocation at Dunbeg, and will include a variety of uses that will support the local community as well as offering a destination for Argyll residents and visitors.
The Commercial Area may include a hotel, a restaurant, food retail, non-food retail, drive through restaurants and business units. It may also be a location for Park and Ride, and possibly other community uses, subject to further discussion with the Council.
The exact mix of uses will only resolve itself once marketing of the site has been undertaken, when it will become clearer the type of occupiers that wish to take a site or building. The intention, in the meantime, is to secure Planning Permission in Principle for the optimum mix of uses, so that future marketing can take place once planning consent has been secured for the site, with the aim being that it will have maximum flexibility in terms of uses, layout and phasing.
