A housing development battle that has split a Moray village is set to continue with new plans to build homes in Portgordon lodged with council planners.
Landowner Gemma Campbell has twice had bids to build houses on the seafront in the village turned down in moves that have caused two rival factions to grow in the village in support and against her proposals.
Ms Campbell has had planning permission granted for a new boatyard and cafe in the village, but an initial bid for nine homes on seafront land she owns was withdrawn under intense local pressure.
A renewed bid was narrowly defeated by Moray Council planning committee members last month.
Now the landowner is seeking to build nine homes to the rear of Gordon Street – and like earlier bids local opinion is divided.
Pringle George, who is one of a group of local residents who opposed previous bids by Ms Campbell, said: “We are going to challenge this like we challenged every application in the past.
“We have a month to check the legal aspects of this and we are going to use that time to mount as strong a case as possible.”
However, Maureen Burrows, who belongs to a group that has strongly supported Ms Campbell and insisted that her redevelopment plans were vital for the future of the village, said that she was delighted Ms Campbell had not given up on her plans.
She said: “Her plans will be the shot in the arm the village needs to prevent it from slowly dying. When I first came here in 1995 the village had four shops and two pubs – we have just one of each now. Portgordon needs investment.”