Foothold For His Family’s Future
RETURNING TO HIS ROOTS has not proved as easy as Aberfeldy businessman Henry Murdoch had hoped. His plans to return to live and work in Highland Perthshire with his young family have been thwarted following a planning appeal to the Scottish Executive.
After holding executive positions with the John Lewis Partnership and House of Bruar, Henry (pictured here) decided to relocate to Aberfeldy three years ago and, along with his wife, Marion, embarked upon what has proved a very popular business. Their domestic company, Chorebusters, was born in August 2003: it employs four full-time staff and has around 500 clients on its books.
All this time the Murdochs, who have been living with their two young sons in rented accommodation in the town, dreamed of building a home on family land near Cuil Farm on upland ground north of Aberfeldy.
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They harboured the idea of being the third generation of Murdochs to stay there. With the hugely escalating property prices in the area - and an embargo due to sewerage restrictions on new developments in the town - self build seemed the only option left to them.
Now their hopes have been dashed. Perth and Kinross Council refused them outline planning permission, and upon appeal, that decision has been endorsed by the Scottish Executive.
The Executive’s inquiry Reporter, Mr W Patterson, vetoed the Murdoch family’s appeal on grounds of a lack of “operational need.” Also, he deemed that, despite being near other homes, the family’s chosen site would not “visually relate” and that there was no “compact nucleated shape”.
Mr Patterson felt that “there was no substantial evidence of a functional need for a house in connection with a rural business, such as with regard to numbers of livestock or manpower requirements for their supervision, or with regard to the viability of the farming enterprise.” He concluded: “The Chorebusters business is clearly one which by its nature does not require any rural location for its base, still less this particular location,”
Henry explained to Comment: “The planning department has decided that a line which they have drawn following the path of a Forestry Commission road, now takes on significant importance when it changes from running in a north-south direction to running east to west.”
He is perplexed by the decision. “There has been so much development over the last few months by people looking to sell to make a profit. Having come back to the community and employed people here, all I want is to put a roof over our heads. We cannot now afford to buy property in the area because of the local housing market. We are left facing little option other than to make people redundant, move away and deprive the community of a new and innovative service.”
Urgency
The Murdoch family is only secure in its rented accommodation for just eighteen more months. When the Reporter concluded his written judgement they were given six weeks in which to challenge the detailed grounds of his veto. Thus the clock is ticking on their enterprising endeavour to retain a self reliant link with their family’s homeland.
Since the Edinburgh decision was made known, many of Chorebusters’ customers throughout the 1,000 square miles of Highland Perthshire have expressed alarm at the possible removal of the service that Henry’s team provides. Numbers of them have been in touch asking how they might help the family’s plight. As time runs out, Henry and Marion made clear to Comment that they would welcome advice, suggestions or proposals - from any quarter - that might enable them to break out of the housing bind with which they are faced.
Henry stressed that he had nothing but respect for the responsibility and operations of the local authority planning department. He recognised that officeres require to ‘hold the line’ against unfettered development in the countryside.
Where marginal cases arise on the boundaries, however, he maintained that binding safeguards can be negotiated to prevent exploitation and setting precedents. He added: “Our specific case, with its history and local impact, is a great example of how it would be very simple for a young family to gain cost-effective housing in the local area.”
Henry can be contacted on 01887 822955
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