Hotel’s bid to block houses on swanky street
Bosses at The Gleneagles Hotel are standing in the way of a man’s plans to build houses on one of the country’s costliest streets.
They are opposing two applications filed by Gavin Wiseman as they believe a “significant” number of trees would need to be felled to make room for two properties he wants to build on Caledonian Crescent, where the average house price is understood to be over £1.6 million.
Planning consultants Hurley have written to PKC on behalf of bosses saying the felling, which would see some ancient woodland destroyed as well, would have “a direct detrimental impact” on the five-star hotel and its world class golf courses.
They also claim the proposed properties would look “wholly inconsistent with the special character of the area” - a point raised in five further objections received by PKC since the application was filed.
Hurley’s senior planner Eilidh Shaw has told PKC: “Caledonian Crescent is characterised by large dwellings in generous plots which form a front facing crescent of dwellings all set back a consistent distance from the road.
“The proposed dwellings would break with this character and would comprise rural ‘back land’ development, which is wholly inconsistent with the spatial character of the area. Contrary to policy, the proposals would result in reduced rather than new or additional landscape planting.”
Ms Shaw goes on: “The proposals would result in the loss of a significant number of trees which will have a direct detrimental impact on and erode the integrity of the designated Gleneagles Hotel and Golf Courses inventory site.”
And she concludes: “It is our client’s position that the landscape setting of The Gleneagles Hotel should not be compromised by residential development pressures.”
Another local objector has told PKC: “There is no detailed description of the proposed houses but they are supposed to be small enough to be virtually invisible but large enough to fit in with the existing houses in the area.
“We can already see the existing houses through the woods so any new house built between these and the edge of the woods would be clearly visible unless it was either underground or utilised some amazing new cloaking technology.”