Bankfoot holiday hutsplan

A developer has lodged an application for a hutting development in woodland south of Bankfoot.

But they insisted it is not related to an earlier scheme which was rejected by both the council and the Scottish Government.

Planning consultants Urban Animation say the proposal to build 17 huts in Gellybanks Wood has nothing to do with the application Edinburgh-based company Exclusive Resorts submitted over six years ago to create holiday lodges and homes in the same area.

That application was turned down by councillors in 2014 and then by the Scottish Government in 2015 after Exclusive Resorts appealed the decision.

A planning statement accompanying the new application says the proposed huts will only be used for recreation and be sited within a 1.8 hectare area where trees have already been felled.

It stressed: “The current planning application is unrelated to the previous proposal.

“No housing or commercial tourism accommodation is proposed and the new use would be at a far smaller scale.

“Hutting is a low-impact use, enabling people to spend recreational time in a woodland setting.

“By its nature it requires a rural setting, ideally reasonably close to urban population, for convenience of access.

“The proposal is very different in nature to the unsuccessful housing and tourist accommodation application brought forward previously in this location, where the lack of footpath access was deemed a significant issue.

“Firstly, it is a far smaller development.

“Secondly, there is no housing.

“Thirdly, the use is inherently sustainable, delivering off-grid recreational accommodation which is likely to be constructed using local timber by local small businesses.

“The development will bring people back into contact with nature and the outdoors, delivering health and wellbeing benefits.”