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Bungling bosses behind a controversial housing plan forced furious neighbours to fork out £1.50 to find out the details – because they didn’t pay enough postage.
Duntocher residents bracing themselves for the latest fight against a proposed development at Duntiglennan Fields reacted with a mix of shock and anger.
They questioned if Barratt Homes were sincere in wanting to hear the views of the public for a site that has been roundly rejected for years.
But Barratt Homes insisted they were trying to ensure as many residents as possible could learn about the plans and give feedback. They blamed the postage problem on an “administrative error”.
Letters about the upcoming public event on August 7 regarding Duntiglennan Fields weren’t delivered last week as residents got Royal Mail cards asking them to go to Clydebank post office with £1.50 in missing postage.
On Sunday, apology letters were hand delivered – with £2 in compensation.
Read more: Firm wants Duntocher fields back on the table
One resident said: “It’s bad enough arrogant Barratt Homes think they have a right to build, without charging us £1.50 each to find out about a meeting and a bunch of ideas they have. I have never heard of anything so outrageous.
“Clearly they’ve realised this has been a PR disaster and have now come out on a Sunday and are currently posting letters of ‘apology’ round the doors – with £2 inside.
“Utterly ridiculous. How daft do these people think we are?”
The public event for the pre-planning application was originally to be between 2pm and 5pm, while many residents are working. It has now been extended until 8pm.
A second neighbour told the Post: “When lodging the application, Barratt Homes were obligated to publicly inform the local community and have a public meeting to do so at least 12 weeks before lodging the formal planning application.
“They organised a meeting but in such a way as to minimise the number of people who could attend.
“To add insult to injury Barratt Homes have sent out 200 letters to those directly near the field – without stamps.
“Nobody would know the importance of the letter. It was only because I spoke to the postman that I found out that this letter is from Barratt and I cannot collect it until I go to the post office in Clydebank.”
Rival homebuilders Taylor Wimpey previously set their sights on the land off Farm Road in Duntocher but faced unanimous rejection by West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC).
When the Scottish Government’s planning reporter approved the plans, the council halted its own local development plan (LDP) to protect the site.
Earlier this year Taylor Wimpey opposed the new LDP2 saying there needed to be an opportunity for builders to use the greenbelt land overlooking the Clyde.
Councillors again pushed back against the idea.
Read more: Barratt Homes wants to build on Duntocher’s Duntiglennan Fields
David Scott, managing director of Barratt West Scotland, said: “An administrative error meant that some letters detailing the community consultation for the development at Farm Road, Duntocher, were not delivered.
“Since discovering this, we have hand delivered replacement letters and reimbursed the postage paid to all residents. We apologise to anybody inconvenienced by this.
“The public consultation will take place on August 7, between 2pm and 8pm – as agreed with WDC.
“Local people are invited to attend to provide feedback on the plans and, for those who cannot make that particular date and time, there is the opportunity for them to comment on the proposals when the formal planning application is submitted.
“We hoped this would be a more suitable date to hold the consultation rather than at the beginning of the school summer holidays or during the Glasgow Fair when most people are unavailable.”
The pre-planning application can be found on the West Dunbartonshire Council planning portal by searching for PAN 19/007. The public event will be held on August 7 at West Park Hotel.
