Planning officials are cautioning people against buying land at auctions after learning a plot west of Lochearnhead just outside Perthshire considered environmentally sensitive was scheduled to be auctioned off last week.
Future Property Auctions arranged to sell a 24-acre site with fishing rights beside Loch Voil near Balquhidder where legendary Scottish outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor is buried last Friday with the opening bid set at £111,000.
However this latest listing has alarmed officials from the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, within which the plot lies, as they have already had to issue a statement this year warning potential buyers to beware of buying other plots of land deemed unsuitable for development.
The national park authority then had to repeat the warning later this year after being forced to take enforcement action to stop unauthorised works recently carried out on land between Stroneslaney Road and the River Balvaig near Balquhidder.
Stuart Mearns, director of place at the park, remarked at the time: “This development activity has not been authorised and is on an area of land which has a number of environmentally important qualities which mean it is unlikely to receive planning permission.
“Unauthorised development in a National Park is an extremely serious matter and we are taking urgent enforcement action by issuing a temporary Stop Notice.
“This requires all development activity to cease immediately.
“What is also particularly worrying is that purchasers of the plots don’t appear to be aware of the sensitive environment or planning restrictions at this location.
“Plots on this land are still being marketed for sale without detailing the significant constraints of the site.
“Anyone purchasing these plots would be very unlikely to receive permission to develop them as they are in an environmentally sensitive landscape where there is a risk of flooding.
“We are keen to engage with those who have recently bought a plot here and to prevent anyone else from buying a plot without fully understanding these constraints.”
A spokesperson for the national park authority contacted the PA last week to draw attention to its previous warning about buying plots after learning of the latest auction offering.
The spokesperson said the authority had been forced to take further enforcement action over the last few weeks to stop people dumping materials in the area and again warned potential buyers of more plots to be extremely cautious.
