Controversial East Ayrshire wellness park gets go-ahead despite environmental concerns
Council planners have approved a scaled-back version of the leisure development on the site of the former Barony Colliery near Auchinleck
Last updated 17th Jan 2024
Councillors have given a controversial eco-therapy park the go ahead on the recommendation of planners, despite ongoing concerns about the impact on wildlife and safety.
Last February a planning application for a £60m leisure development on the site of the former Barony Colliery, near Auchinleck, featuring a range of facilities such as visitor accommodation, activity zone, yoga terrace and dance studio, cafe, spa and a “productive landscapes hub” was refused.
But a scaled back proposal has now been given the go ahead by East Ayrshire councillors, after planners recommended approval, despite many of the reasons for refusal last year still being a concern.
The proposal includes a 40 room hotel, around 160 cabins, workshops, restaurant, bar, brewery, ecologies hub and research facilities.
Planners emphasised that the application was for planning in principle.
The developers will now need to submit a detailed planning application that will address the concerns the officials have.
Groups have raised concerns about impact on wildlife
Among the reasons given for refusal in 2023 were the adverse impact on the wildlife habitats, failure to demonstrate that the development would not cause unacceptable impacts on the ecology of the site.
It also criticised the lack of evidence that building on the bing, which it described as land that is ‘known or suspected to be unstable and/or contaminated, can be made safe and suitable for the proposed new use’.
However, they have had a change of approach, and while a number of the same issues were acknowledged, they said that they could now be dealt with in the context of conditions ahead of the full planning application.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio News, Andy Whitlock, director at developers National Pride UK insisted the local environment will be at the heart of what they want to do with the site: “Ecology is at the centre of the project.
"We fell in love with this place"
“It is very much the core ethos, ethics and values of that particular project, and ecology is absolutely key to its success.
“We want the best for this site, (fellow director) Irene and I look upon ourselves as the custodians of the Barony.
“We fell in love with this place a long time ago.”
READ MORE: Calls to save former East Ayrshire colliery reclaimed by nature
But environmental groups feel the area, which has been reclaimed by grasslands and woodlands, forming what is referred to as ‘Open Mosaic Habitat on Previously Developed Land’, should not be developed at all.
Gemma Waters from Buglife Scotland told Greatest Hits Radio News: “Although wildlife has been considered (in the planning application) the national planning policy makes it clear that not only should a development mitigate for harm to nature, it should also enhance nature.
“This is such a good site and we are really concerned that not only can they not mitigate for the impact of this large development, they are also not enhancing the site at all – and the result will be a decline in nature.”