Bid for six chalets next to rural hotel
Holiday accommodation
Plans have been submitted which could see half a dozen chalets built near a hotel on the outskirts of Kirkmichael.
Applicant Donald Simpson is seeking permission from Perth and Kinross Council to erect six holiday accommodation units on land near the former Log Cabin Hotel in Glen Derby.
A design statement in relation to the proposals has been compiled by Enochdhu-based John Manning Chartered Architect and submitted alongside the application to the local authority.
It explains the hotel itself – now renamed Kaoglen Lodge and previously Valhalla Bikers Lodge– is not part of the potential project and that the chalets, each 7x4 metres, would be constructed
nearby should the request find favour with the council’s planning department.
Submitted on behalf of Mr Simpson, Mr Manning’s design statement reveals: “My client has recently purchased the former Log Cabin Hotel, latterly called the Valhalla Bikers Lodge and now renamed Kaoglen Lodge; proposals for this are not included in this application.
“The proposal is to erect six chalets on the spare ground rising to the north of the existing hotel/lodge, with car parking near the main building and footpaths to each chalet.”
After stating the development would be geared towards couples, it continues:
“Each chalet will be self-contained with a shower room and kitchen-come-living room, with a double bed with full central heating.
“My client has other holiday businesses and is well aware of the need for appropriate management controls of noise and music making in the interests of the guests.
“His other sites are on Trip Adviser with rating 4.5; this should reassure local residents.
“The nearest neighbour is ... screened by the lie of the ground ...”
Reflecting on the history of the area, the statement concludes: “The site as
the Log Cabin, [more recently] called the Valhalla Bikers Lodge, has been through a number of ownerships and the fortunes have varied from being a premier hotel to the other end of the scale.
“Having an owner who is based locally and has a successful holiday-centred business will secure the future of the site to the benefit of the immediate residents and the wider community.”
In principle planning permission for two cabins on part of the site in question was granted in December 2019, according to Mr Manning’s report.
The most recent application will be considered by the council in due course.
The site has been through a number of ownerships and fortunes have varied John Manning, architect