'Move on' from undeveloped housing sites message as South Ayrshire Council urged to look at alternatives

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A councillor has called for South Ayrshire Council to ‘move on’ from undeveloped housing sites and look at alternatives.Pockets of land across South Ayrshire are allocated for housing as part of the council’s local development plan, to ensure that there is enough housing to meet demand in the future.However, at a meeting on Thursday, March 31, councillors questioned why sites which have been left untouched for years remain as part of the plan, while other suitable sites remain unallocated.Maybole councillor Iain Campbell said: “We should not be held to ransom where [development] is going to take 20 years.

We should move on. We should be building houses.”Girvan Councillor Alec Clark pointed to issues with housing supply in his ward.“There is no significant land supply,” he said. “The problem I have with supply is that we have land that is continually there from one year to another but does not get developed, yet we hold back land that could be developed from coming into the picture."The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now.Get all the local news in your area – plus features, football news and the latest on the coronavirus crisis – at your fingertips 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories while you can customise your page with the sections that matter to you.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now on iOS and Android.Head of planning Craig Iles responded that the sites chosen are always ‘the next best site’ for towns and villages.He said: “It is important these are used as drivers to take settlements forward and build communities.

We do need to make sure that sites that are brought forward are deliverable.”Cllr Clark said: “The last time that social housing was