Holiday park plan needing ‘scrutiny’
Councillors want planners to look again
Kinross-shire councillors have requested local authority planners carefully consider what would happen should ambitious plans for a new holiday park near Loch Leven fall through.
In addition the Kinross-shire Civic Trust (KCT) has written to the developer stating its belief the proposal for between 80 and 90 holiday lodges to be built at Burleigh Sands appears to be “incompatible” with Loch Leven’s protected status as a National Nature Reserve (NNR) and a site of Special Scientific Research (SSSI).
Kinross Estates Company’s Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) for the site was discussed at Wednesday’s meeting of the Perth and Kinross Council’s development management committee where elected members were invited to raise specific issues they would like to see addressed within a proper planning application.
Councillor Dave Cuthbert said local residents were becoming increasingly concerned about the number of large-scale developments currently underway in and around Kinross and asked that officers complete their own traffic modelling of the area to assess the new park’s potential impact on the surrounding roads.
Councillor Joe Giacopazzi also suggested officers consider the positive and negative effects the holiday park could have on other traders in the area and then asked if officers could also consider what would happen if the venture failed.
He speculated the council could be left with a useless brownfield site on its hands should the park prove to be unsuccessful and then asked officers to consider the possibility the developer might end up applying to create permanent dwellings at the site instead.
Councillor Mike Barnacle then asked if officers would also consider how better public transport could be brought back to the area to link the proposed holiday park to Milnathort and Kinross, adding that an old bus service around the loch had “died”.
And he went on to say: “There is a history of chalet sites becoming permanent dwellings. These lodges [will be] for sale - we were told that at [a] consultation event.
“I would like to make sure that this proposal is definitely for tourism and not for permanent dwellings.”
All three councillors’ requests for information were noted by PKC planning chief Nick Brian who said there would be restrictions imposed on how long people could reside in the proposed holiday lodges should any forthcoming application ultimately be approved.
Responding to the latest information on the proposal a KCT spokesperson later told the PA it had written to Kinross Estates Company outlining the limitations that exist on potential developments around the loch as well as the significant number of policies in place affording Loch Leven protected status.
The spokesperson said: “The Trust now has the benefit of more information about the development proposal of 90 or so holiday home units and ancillary buildings at Burleigh.
“Feedback from our members and the wider community suggests that there is great concern within Kinross-shire that the proposals could impact negatively on what is a very environmentally sensitive area at Loch Leven.
“The development appears incompatible with the aim of safeguarding and protecting the natural environment of Loch Leven and the immediate locality associated with it.
“The nature and scale of development proposed would have a significant impact due to the close proximity of the planned location to Loch Leven.
“KCT understands the developers will be selling the holiday home units and in turn buyers are free to then rent out their properties if they wish.
“The development would likely have the same or similar impact as a conventional housing development, possibly more so given the proposed other uses for the associated parts of the site.
“A conventional housing development in the proposed location would not be supported by council policy.”