A councillor has welcomed the scrapping of a leadership centre on the banks of Loch Lomond – describing it a “blessing”.
The Lennox Herald reported last week that The Hunter Foundation has pulled out its plans for Ross Priory after being granted planning permission.
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park’s planning and access committee approved the bid in November 2020, which followed 43 objections.
But last month, the organisation’s CEO Ewan Hunter says the organisation now plans to set up the facility at Blair Castle in Pitlochry instead.
He said the timescales do not fit in with the foundation’s aims, describing the process “incredibly onerous”.
Gartocharn councillor Sally Page had been long critical of the proposals amid environmental concerns, but says she would have liked to have seen it operate elsewhere in the local area.
After the plans were approved, she went on to call on the Scottish Government to rule for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to be carried out which was rejected.
She believes the EIA would have found other suitable nearby alternatives, saying: “The two properties being suggested were Balloch Castle and Auchendennan.
“This suggestion was belittled by the planning committee.
“So now we find the whole project has been lost to West Dunbartonshire and the local area, and a large estate has been bought in Ayrshire.
“I and others wrote to the Scottish Government twice to appeal for an EIA to be carried out but both times the suggestion was rejected.
“From an environmental point of view it is a blessing that the project has been withdrawn from Ross Priory.
“It should never have been granted permission without an EIA.
“The proximity to the national nature reserve, islands with white tailed eagles looking to nest, ospreys nesting beside the proposed development site and a powan spawning bed in front of the development site, otters in the burn – so much was at stake for the natural environment.”
However Rev Ian Miller was in support of the bid and said he was disappointed it had been scrapped.
He said: “I did support the application on a number of grounds.
“Firstly Ross Priory is a great asset to the village of Gartocharn. The villagers have open access to it, they can join the golf club and often use the place for various events and even just walk through it and enjoy the views and the gardens. It’s a superb place to be right in your back yard.
“I also saw this as a wonderful way to ensure that the priory would continue to remain under the ownership of the university and remain as a benefit the local community rather than fall into private ownership.
“A state of the art leadership centre would also have been a great asset to head teachers and pupils alike. It was going to be a gift in our back yard. How could you refuse?
“It will be a matter of rejoicing for some and a matter of regret for those who view Ross Priory as the special place it is.”
The development at the Strathclyde University owned site was set to cater to small groups of up to 25 teachers and trainees and contain three five-bedroom and one four-bedroom modern accommodation pods.
Confirming the update in a letter to the national park, Ewan Hunter said: “The timing of this development has been slow and the pandemic delayed things even further and that gave us pause to reflect on this development and the absolute, and increased, need for the values-based leadership we had aimed to house at the Hunter Global Leadership Centre (HGLC).
“We have acquired Blair Castle and Estate and already under way in delivering leadership programmes there - were we to wait for the HGLC to be constructed, we’d have at least two or three more years before taking ownership.”
