RESIDENTS in a tiny hamlet near Luss have accused the area’s major landowner of “treating them with contempt”, in an ongoing dispute over plans to build new homes.

Luss Estates have come under attack from unhappy homeowners who are objecting to proposals for seven new houses to be developed on greenfield sites in and around Muirlands.

The original planning applications were submitted in January 2017 and included blueprints for 30 new builds across eight separate sites in the surrounding areas – ten of them in the Muirlands area.

Luss and Arden community councillor John Kelly, who lives in Muirlands, said: “It’s not really any further forward. There’s been a slight reduction in the number of houses, but the impact is just the same, if not worse.

“Muirlands is a wee settlement, and what they’re proposing to do is enclose it, left, right and centre.

“The rural development plan says that in any application for housing, ideally 100 per cent should be affordable houses, and at the very least 50 per cent should be affordable.

“In this application, only one out of the seven houses are affordable.”

Mr Kelly said these points had been put to Luss Estates, but they were met with no response.

He added: “The Luss Estates Company, over the past year and a half, have not communicated at all with the local community. In fact, they have treated us with contempt.”

Luss Estates’ chief executive Simon Miller said: “Developments such as the one proposed at Muirlands are incredibly important for the future of small communities and ensuring that the next generation has places to live.

“We worked very closely with the Luss and Arden community to draw up a strategic development framework in 2013 which set out an agreement on how best to develop the area.

“We appreciate that there will always be some who oppose any development, but we disagree with Mr Kelly’s view.

“Ultimately this is a planning matter, which will be decided upon by a National Park planning committee.”