Homes plan for abandoned Torry nursery site approved after years-long battle

Source : pressandjournal.co.uk:
An abandoned Torry nursery site left derelict for a decade will soon be turned into new homes – three years after the plans were first lodged.

The plot of land on Oscar Road was home to a children’s nursery for generations.

Torry Nursery opened in 1937, and closed in 2005 after pupil numbers dropped by 75%.

The building was demolished in 2014, and land has since fallen into decay – now laying empty and overgrown with weeds.

The space was recently listed in a new nation-wide register, highlighting vacant and derelict locations to encourage developers to take them on and bring them back to life.

The expanse adjacent to Torry Medical Practice is now overgrown. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson.

But Aberdeen-based firm MLP Homes had already submitted proposals to transform the disused land into a residential area back in 2021.

However, their initial plans didn’t sit quite right with residents and council officials, and they have been fighting for permission ever since.

Why did it take three years to bring the former Torry nursery plans to fruition?

The company’s first proposals to build affordable houses were scrapped in October 2021.

Planning officials deemed the scheme “inappropriate”, saying it would “overdevelop” the area and result in the loss of trees and open space.

How the development on Oscar Road will look once built. Image Grant Murray Architects.

Architects then went back to the drawing board and came up with a fresh set of ideas last year, dropping the number of homes to 20 and adding some extra greenery.

But neighbours didn’t favour these either, raising issues over the height of the buildings and the prospect of people prying into their gardens from the proposed balconies.

They also feared this would result in increased traffic in a children-heavy area, with the Greyhope School and Community Hub less than a mile away.

The £28m Greyhope Primary School and Community Hub at Tullos Circle is just a five-minute walk away from the new house development. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

This negative response sent developers back to square one yet again, having to revise the plans a second time in hope of winning people over.

And now, their third attempt has been approved – with construction expected to start in the next few months.

What are the plans?

Architects have dropped the number of houses even further, now poised to build 18 new homes with no balconies overlooking nearby private gardens.

There will be four one-bed flats and the rest will be with four or five bedrooms.

There will be four parking spaces with EV chargers. Image: Grant Murray Architects.

Each will have access to a private garden and a designated parking space.

You can view the plans here.