Dolphin House plan approved

A £50,000 project to build a new outdoor classroom at Dolphin House Outdoor Education Centre, at Culzean, has been given the go-ahead.

The plans involve building a log cabin-style outdoor classroom, which will also function as a ‘social space’ for user groups attending the outdoor education centre at Dolphin House.

The idea of the new feature is to free-up space within the existing bunkhouse to ‘allow its future reconfiguration,’ according to a planning statement.

The proposed outdoor classroom will provide the following benefits:

Additional, fully accessible, education spaces for user groups.

Provision of a renewable energy pack, including solar panel, wind turbine, monitoring board and light to allow further opportunities to discuss sustainability, micro power generation and environmental impacts.

The design statement, which provides context to the project, said: “The council has approved funding to carry out a review of the outdoor education facilities provided to schools by Thriving Communities from their base at Dolphin House in

Culzean Castle and Country Park.

“An options appraisal report was produced by Professional Design Services (PDS) in March 2023, which reviewed three options for increasing the flexibility, quality and quantity of overnight accommodation within the bunkhouse to ensure that Dolphin House could continue to attract school groups and meet its enhanced income targets.

One condition attached to the planning permission is that the cabin must be removed, with the site “restored to its former condition”if it should become “obsolete or redundant.”