WEDDING BANNED
Tycoon’s plan for luxury venue on Loch Lomond is booted out
A tycoon has failed in a high-profile attempt to create a luxury wedding venue next to Loch Lomond.
Businessman Jim Morrison and his wife Emily wanted to construct the multi- million pound complex on thei r 100- acre Wards Estate in the village of Gartocharn.
But planners at Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authori t y threw out the application following a storm of protests from residents and conservation organisations.
The proposals included the construction of a swimming pool, hotel accommodation, a function suite, car parking, toilet block and access roads for wedding parties.
A 16 - s t rong g roup of neighbours objected – with one describing the development as resembling a theme park.
Conservation charity Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs welcomed the decision to reject the project.
Chairman James Fraser said: “The plans for a large functions venue and associated mansion houses and swimming pools were totally inappropriate in this scenic location and right next to the RSPB National Nature Reserve, which is home to a rich variety of wildlife.”
The plans for Wards Estate were first submitted in April 2016.
Objections were also lodged by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Labour MSP Jackie Baillie, on behalf of her constituents.
Protesters say the hotel development’s wedding guests would have ruined the peace and quiet associated with the area.
It has also been claimed building work would threaten wildlife, including hundreds of protected geese, owls, bats and red squirrels.
A Loch Lomond and The Trossachs Nat ional Park Authority spokeswoman said: “The scale and extent of the proposed development would result in an erosion of the local landscape character and would impact on the special landscape qualities of the national park.”
In 2006, Morrison, 55, was ranked Scotland’s 13th richest man.
In 2001, the former British Telecom executive created i- mate, which was at the cutting edge of the smartphone industry.
His f irm, which was listed on the stock market, enjoyed booming sales in the Middle and Far East and his shareholding was estimated at £ 300million.
But i-mate crashed in 2009 amid claims a board member was behind a £ 9million fraud that ended the company.
At about the same time, Morrison separated from his f irst wife Diane, who was diagnosed with mult iple sclerosis in 2008.
She later discovered he had secretly fathered five children with two women, including Emily, during their 21-year marriage.
Diane won a £ 1.6mi l lion divorce payout from Morrison in February 2011 but passed away a year later.
The Morrisons’ home in the Wards Estate includes a large house, a smaller cottage, a pond and woodland.
In February, we revealed how Morrison is battling his family over their dead parents’ estate.
Brother Robert and sisters Ann Degnan and Kathleen Morrison are contesting how their late mum and dad’s £ 260,000 inheritance should be divided.
Emily said she and her husband would be appealing the decision to refuse their application.
The plans were inappropriate in this scenic location