An American luxury real estate company wants to turn Loch Tay into a playground for the mega-rich.
They’ve already bought up Taymouth Castle, Kenmore hotel, and even the beach. Bit by bit, developers are carving up the beautiful banks of Loch Tay for private profit.
And to make things worse, they’ve lodged a new planning application for a golf buggy garage on land earmarked for affordable housing.
Things have gone too far. It’s time for Perth and Kinross Council to finally stand up to the developers and refuse further consents.
Help the local community save Loch Tay from buyout, stand up to multi-billionaire property developers, and reject this new application today.
What’s going on?
Concerns are growing about the ever-expanding ‘overdevelopment’ at Loch Tay, centred around Taymouth Castle, as developers have lodged a new planning application.
The developers are US-based Discovery Land Company (DLC), an operator of private residential club communities. They have locations primarily in the United States, and the Taymouth estate is their only location in Scotland.
The major development plans for the Taymouth estate were approved in 2011. However, no accountable masterplan for the project has been shared with the community to be scrutinised, and more than 50 further linked planning applications for the site have been made since.
Now the developers lodged a new application for golf buggy maintenance building on land that was previously earmarked for affordable housing by Perth and Kinross Council in their local development plan.
This application is now open for comments from the public until the February 23, 2024.
What’s wrong with the application?
The application includes a golf vehicle maintenance building – due to be constructed on land that has been earmarked for affordable housing in Perth and Kinross’s Local Development Plan (2019).
The Local Development Plan states that this site could have a potential capacity of 33 residences, but this new planning application would bring that number closer to 24 - a possible reduction of nearly 30% of the site's full potential.
Luxury private developments cannot be prioritised over essential affordable community housing.
This application is the latest in a long history of new planning applications at the site.
DLC and their associated companies have been lodging linked planning applications for the site – salami-slicing the mega-development into smaller pieces, leaving the community with limited opportunities to object. The plethora of planning applications have meant that it is hard to hold developers to account.
This is our opportunity to hold the developers to account and help protect the future of affordable housing in Kenmore.
What can we do about it?
Perth and Kinross Council will have the final say on whether they’ll allow the developers to go ahead with this plan.
We’ve drafted an objection to the new planning application from DLC that you can submit today.
These objections need to be submitted by Friday 23rd February 2024 and will be taken into account when Perth and Kinross make their final decision.
Why we need to take action now.
The developers say that “Scotland is the ultimate outdoor playground.” But the message from the community is clear - our home is not your playground.
We need to be investing in assets for the local community, not carving off land for private clubs for millionaires.
It’s time to help the local community save Loch Tay from buyout, stand up to multi-billionaire property developers, and reject this new application today.