It seems on the surface to be self-evident that the proper social infrastructure should be in place before embarking on any major public developments, especially when they are to take place in rural environments.
That is why we have considerable sympathy with the views put forward by residents of Dunbeg about the putative masterplan that proposes the construction of more than 600 new houses in the ‘corridor’ between the village and Ganavan.
Quite frankly, the roads in the area, particularly Kirk Road, are simply not suitable for even the traffic using them at present, let alone after the addition of hundreds of new homes. Residents are, understandably, up in arms – despite a consultation exercise held last week to reassure them otherwise – at the prospect of hundreds of additional vehicles clogging the single-track Kirk Road and attempting to exit Dunbeg onto the already congested and accident-blighted A85.