Plans for rural holiday park undermined by traffic concerns

Plans for an eco holiday camp in a rural Perthshire location have been rejected after locals expressed fears about the dangers of increased traffic.

Landowner Steven Mackie told Perth and Kinross Council’s planning and management committee he had acquired land near Kinvaid Farm, Moneydie, in 2015 with a view to establishing a holiday camp.

The plan was for a mixture of 15 camping pods and five lodges on site along with a reception and maintenance store.

“My goal is to create highquality rural accommodation for families and outdoor enthusiasts,” he told yesterday’s meeting.

Mr Mackie said he believed the development could inject as much as £500,000 into the local economy, based on average spending calculations.

However, the meeting also heard from local people who claimed the plan was in the wrong place, given the narrowness of the roads.

While acknowledging the importance of tourism, they described the scheme as “an accident waiting to happen”.

Objectors told councillors there has been three serious accidents at Moneydie in the recent past, as well as numerous more minor incidents.

“Crashes and near misses are a daily occurrence,” said George Black, chairman of Luncarty, Redgorton and Moneydie community council. The retired police officer said he feared for the impact of extra traffic on the roads system and claimed opposition to the development had “united the community”.

The committee heard negotiations with council officers had resulted in the scale of the eco camp being reduced to a size that was deemed acceptable.

However, SNP councillor Eric Drysdale moved refusal on the grounds that the development did not meet specific needs and it hadn’t been shown that the local roads network could accommodate the extra traffic.

The motion won the unanimous backing of the committee and the application was refused.