Campaigners who want to halt development at Park of Keir have questioned the viability of the project a year on from a decision by Scottish ministers to grant planning permission in principle.
RAGE (Residents Against Greenbelt Erosion) said no further detailed plans have yet been submitted by Park of Keir Partners, including Judy Murray, tennis coach and mother of Wimbledon champs Andy and Jamie.
The project includes a new tennis and golf centre, including museum and visitor centre, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, golf course with clubhouse and practice areas, hotel with leisure and conference facilities, a multi-use sports pitch.
It also includes an outdoor play area, cycle trails and footpaths, new access roads and junction, new tree planting and landscaping, car parking and an enabling 19-plot housing development.
This time last year, Scottish ministers concluded that the benefits of the Park of Keir Partners plan for the land between Dunblane and Bridge of Allan had been “sufficient to outweigh the loss of greenbelt at this location”.
The initial application had been rejected by councillors six years ago after the submission of more than 1000 objections, but following an appeal and public local inquiry, Scottish ministers called the application in.
A Notice of Intention to approve the development was issued in 2017, pending a Section 75 agreement between the applicant and Stirling Council.
That agreement was finally signed in summer 2020 following a number of extensions.
In summer 2021 opponents RAGE organised ‘an 11th hour’ petition containing more than 1500 signatures, however Ministers granted approval.
A RAGE spokesperson said this week: “Scottish ministers’ justification for granting permission for these proposals, which have already been refused at every stage of the planning process including a public local inquiry, was what they considered to be the economic value of the proposed development and the regional and national importance of the sports facilities.
“The ministers’ decision was based on evidence presented by the Park of Keir partnership to the public local inquiry in September 2016. At the time they were unable to show evidence of any need for the facilities or that it was part of any regional or national strategy for tennis in Scotland.
“It now seems obvious that the business plan presented to the inquiry has been superseded.
“FOI requests have revealed that, six years on, there is still only a draft business plan and draft feasibility study.
“We have also learned that up until September 2022 Tennis Scotland had still been unable to show that Park of Keir was part of any regional or national strategy for Tennis.
“The enabling housing argument, presented by the Park of Keir Partnership to the inquiry, was that 19 houses were essential to fund the sports facilities. Their estimate was that the sale of the building plots would provide between £2million and £4.9million, whilst netting the developer ‘industry standard levels of profit’ (15-25 per cent).
“In 2015 they estimated their costs as £12.5million. By the time they submitted an application to the Transforming Scottish Indoor Tennis fund in February 2019 their predicted costs had risen to £23.7million. Since then building costs have risen substantially so the true figure is likely to be higher.”
RAGE have questioned whether money allocated via Sportscotland and the National Lottery and the Scottish Government has met criteria requirements.
A spokesperson for Park of Keir said: “We have said many times in response to RAGE that we will publish our plans when we are ready to do so and that remains our plan.
“Our plan is an exciting, community-minded one that aims to provide access to sport and leisure facilities to all. We still think that’s a good thing.”
