Going green
Eco retreats for Auchrannie
The popular Auchrannie Resort has announced a new addition to its wide range of accommodation with the building of new luxury eco retreats aimed at couples.
The new development of 14 units, in two different designs, will be introduced over a period of three years. with the first six due to open in time for Easter next year. Bosses say the development will contribute to the sustainability of the resort without adding large numbers of additional guests to the existing resort or island infrastructure.
Local suppliers and contractors will be used throughout the development as much as possible. However, the modular-built units will be constructed by a specialist firm near Carlisle, commencing in October when the groundworks, in the currently undeveloped Glen Cloy site, will simultaneously take place.
The units are designed to fit into the landscape and be virtually invisible and unobtrusive.
They will be singlestorey, have turf roofs, and their stone and cedar exteriors will blend in with the landscape. They are designed with luxury in mind and have all the facilities and ambience of Auchrannie’s hotel suites albeit with a different design brief. Every effort is being made to make the units and their environment as eco-friendly as possible, maximising the use of recyclable materials and buying as locally as possible while minimising energy use and the environmental footprint.
In addition, the units, which will be surrounded by meadow grass, have generous spacing between them, and are designed to be south-facing and don’t overlook one another. While they are not designed for self-catering, each unit has a mini kitchen in which guests can keep their champagne chilled and enjoy a freshly brewed espresso.
They will also have log-burning stoves, covered bike storage, external wood-fuelled hot tubs, fire pits and their own private external space. They will also be dog friendly.
Managing director Linda Johnston said: ‘Auchrannie is successful because we have sufficient facilities to cater for all of our guests’ needs and deliver awesome customer service. We have decided to restrict our current development to 14 units for couples only, thus adding only 28 guests to the current infrastructure. If we put too many guests on site this could be compromised, Auchrannie could lose its appeal and the business model could fail.’
Auchrannie previously had outline planning permission to build 70, twoto four-bedroom selfcatering units in the glen but after careful consideration, the management team at Auchrannie decided to downscale the development to protect the glen’s rural environment, which is overlooked by the hotel and spa, and to ensure that the resort’s infrastructure and successful unique selling points were protected for the future.
While planning permission has been approved for the development, the team overseeing the project is still working on the finer details of design, planning and interiors ahead of work starting.